


The Unfortunate Chronicles of Narnia

by HelloJello



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket, Chronicles of Narnia (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Attempted Kidnapping, Broken Bones, Character Deaths, Crossover, F/F, Fighting, Humor (hopefully), Hydra, I mean this literally, Language, M/M, Magic, Magic weapons, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Profanity, Prophecy, Sibling bickering, The Bald Man is an ogre, War, Weapons, major character deaths, please bear with me, that includes the relationship tag, will add more tags as the story goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:19:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 55,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24053527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelloJello/pseuds/HelloJello
Summary: In a land called Narnia, there is trouble. For one hundred years, the land has been cursed by an evil Fire Warlock named Olaf. He has gained control of the kingdom, and makes the land so swelteringly hot that it has become a desolate and barren place. He kills anyone who dares stand in his way, and so none do. Not outwardly, anyway (as is the same across all dimensions, VFD does its best work in secret).However, there is a well known prophecy that promises Count Olaf’s defeat:When a hero times three can find these lands,A century of fire will be put out.Beware, for only by one of the trio’s handsWill come the end of the evil Count.Meanwhile, in another dimension, the Baudelaire orphans have finally left the Island, bringing young Beatrice II with them. They have been reunited with the Quagmire triplets, and have all been placed under the care of the Professor until Violet comes of age and can use the Baudelaire fortune to take care of the children herself. Left mostly alone to wander the Professor’s estate, there are many discoveries waiting to be unveiled by seven adventurous children
Relationships: Count Olaf/Esmé Squalor, Duncan Quagmire & Isadora Quagmire, Duncan Quagmire & Isadora Quagmire & Quigley Quagmire, Duncan Quagmire & Quigley Quagmire, Isadora Quagmire & Quigley Quagmire, Klaus Baudelaire & Sunny Baudelaire & Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire/Duncan Quagmire, Olivia Caliban/Jacquelyn Scieszka, Violet Baudelaire/Isadora Quagmire
Comments: 36
Kudos: 39





	1. A Specious Start

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is sort of a sequel to the Netflix show. Like, everything that happened in the show happened in this fic, the only difference is that I aged up Sunny and Beatrice. So Violet is 17, the Quagmires are 16, Klaus is 15, Sunny is 9, and Beatrice II is 7. But that doesn’t age them up for past events; Sunny was still a baby/toddler throughout the events of the show, and Beatrice was still born on the Island (even though they only lived there for two years in this storyline). Basically, the age gap between the two youngest Baudelaires and their siblings just shrinks during their time on the Island and nobody really mentions it, I guess, because y’know fuck logic. Also, this is a crossover with The Chronicles of Narnia (as the name implies) The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe movie (because I’m an absolute heathen who hasn’t read the books in years). However, I try to write it so that you don’t have to have seen the movie to read this fic. It might make more sense if you did, because I’m sure there will be shit I forget to clarify, but that’s on me. I don’t know, but anyway I really hope y’all enjoy it!

Isadora almost couldn’t believe her ears. “What did you say?” she gasped. 

Hector raised a hand to nervously scratch the back of his neck. He had an unassuming grin on his face as he looked between the three beaming triplets. “It really wasn’t that difficult. I-I did though, I found where the Baudelaires are heading. There’s a safehouse, way out in the country. It’s owned by a lonely old man, someone VFD only refers to as the Professor. It’s just him and his housekeeper, and according to the agent I made contact with-- a woman named Jacquelyn, I believe-- anyway, according to her, Count Olaf is dead. For real, this time. So there’s absolutely no threat to anyone’s safety. You can all live safe, happy lives on the ground.” 

“Will the Professor even agree to take us all in?” Duncan asked. “I mean, he’s already taking in the three Baudelaires--” 

“Four, actually,” Hector corrected. “Apparently they have another child with them. A little girl, I think.” 

“That makes our chances all the more slim,” Isadora said, feeling her heart sink. 

“There’s not many people who’d be willing to take in seven children,” Quigley agreed, looking slightly glum. 

“No, there’s not,” Hector conceded, and the triplets were bewildered to see that his smile had only grown. “That’s why I was entirely ecstatic when Jacquelyn told me the Professor had already agreed to take you three in as well.” 

“Seriously?” Isadora asked at the same time that Duncan yelped, “Is this for real?” while Quigley simply let out a wordless _whoop!_ to showcase his excitement. Hector laughed at the triplets’ newfound merriment. It was then that the self-sustained hot air mobile home touched the ground, and the triplets could see that Jacquelyn Scieszka, Mr. Poe’s old assistant who had disappeared some time ago, was standing there waiting for them with a warm smile in place.

“Quagmires,” she greeted them. 

“Ms. Scieszka,” Isadora smiled, offering the woman her hand. 

“Call me Jackie,” Jacquelyn said, shaking it. “Now let’s get you triplets to the Professor; I believe there are some associates there you should all be reacquainted with.” 

The Quagmires all grinned and nodded enthusiastically, and Jackie opened the door to her taxi and let them all climb in. 

“Neat!” Quigley remarked. “Kit’s letting you borrow the Snicket taxi?” 

Jackie’s smile slipped, and Quigley looked instantly as though he regretted asking. “Sh-she kind of, uh, gave it to me, in a way,” she said, climbing into the driver’s seat. Seeing the Quagmire’s confused faces she sighed and added, “Kit died. She left me the taxi.” 

Isadora didn’t know who Kit was, but she recognized the last name Snicket. Jacques Snicket had tried to help them in the Village of Fowl Devotees, and had lost his life in an attempt to save them. She was sure Kit must have been a relative of his, and the fact that Quigley looked like he’d just been punched in the gut told her all she needed to know about the kind of person Kit had been. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Quigley managed, blinking back tears. 

“So was I,” Jackie admitted. She cleared her throat. “No reason to dwell on that right now though. Tell me Quagmires, what was it like living in a self-sustained hot air mobile home?” 

“A bit like being in a plane,” Duncan said, “except the baskets weren’t pressurized, and there wasn’t a roof so we constantly had a breeze flowing through.” 

“The sleeping arrangement felt like having a water bed,” Quigley added. 

“Quigley threw up every day for pretty much the entire first month he was up there,” Isadora chimed in. 

“Man, we thought going on roadtrips with him were bad,” Duncan chortled. 

“I’m _fine_ with long car rides _now,”_ Quigley pointed out. 

“That’s certainly a relief,” Jackie commented from the front seat, making the Quagmire triplets laugh. 

And indeed it was, because the drive to the Professor’s estate lasted about a day and a half. By the time the Quagmires arrived, they were antsy both from the nerves of seeing their friends again and from being cooped up in the back of the taxi. In a way, it made it all the more special when Jackie slowed the car to a stop in front of the large plantation home and the triplets pressed their faces against the glass, their hearts pounding with anticipation as their eyes lighted on five silhouettes standing on the front porch. 

“Quagmires,” Jackie grinned, throwing an arm across the empty passenger seat so she could turn to see them, “we’ve arrived.” 

Duncan couldn’t hold himself back a moment longer. He threw open the car door, and Isadora was right behind him. Someone let out a cry of delight as the Quagmires and Baudelaires rushed at each other, meeting about halfway between the front door and the taxi, all colliding together in a tangle of limbs and ecstatic squeals. Isadora clung tight to Violet, soaking in the feeling of the older girl pressed up against her. She didn’t want this moment to end, and she felt tears leak out from her eyes as Quigley tugged her aside so that he and Violet could embrace and she turned to pull Sunny close. 

The sound of a throat clearing broke up their celebration, and for the first time Isadora noticed the middle-aged woman watching them. Standing next to her was a young girl, somewhere around six or seven years old, with choppy, short brown hair and bright hazel eyes. The woman regarded the children with a severe expression until they all fell silent. “Welcome,” she said in a clipped, accented voice. “My name is Mrs. McCreedy. I am the housekeeper of this estate, and it is therefore my job to keep all of you in line. I will give you a quick tour of the grounds, and then it is off to bed for the lot of you. Are there any questions?” 

Quigley looked around before raising his hand like he was in a classroom. “Where will we be sleeping?” 

“In beds, provided you behave,” Mrs. McCreedy snapped, and Isadora had to stifle a giggle at the panicked expression on her brother’s face. “We do not have quite enough rooms for you each to have your own, so to keep things fair we’ll have everybody pair up. You all seem old enough to sort out the specifics on your own, so I’ll leave that up to you.” 

Isadora was distracted from the rest of Mrs. McCreedy’s ramblings when Violet suddenly linked their hands together. “Want to bunk together?” she whispered. 

“Absolutely,” Isadora nodded. She stopped for a moment, noticing Duncan and Klaus ahead of them. She nudged Violet and pointed, gesturing for the girl to stay quiet. Violet followed her gaze to where her brother stood blushing like a buffoon, giggling and whispering with Duncan. 

“Five bucks says they’re rooming together,” Violet bet. 

Isadora laughed. “Oh, no money necessary. They totally are.” 

“What’re you two laughing at?” Sunny asked. 

“Nothing,” Violet said. 

“Just Klaus and Duncan,” Isadora told her. 

“Oh,” Sunny replied. She watched them for a minute, then smirked. “Think they’ll finally get together?” 

“I fucking hope so,” Isadora snorted. “They’ve only had heart eyes for each other since Prufrock Prep.” 

“These are your rooms,” Mrs. McCreedy announced, gesturing to four doors down the hall. “As I said before, you’ll choose your own pairs, but boys’ rooms are all on the left, girls’ on the right, no exceptions. You all get to bed as soon as you’ve got it sorted, and I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“Yeah, we’ll see how well that sexist abstinence program works for her,” Violet murmured, and Isadora couldn’t stop herself from laughing. 

“So, you and me together, I take it?” Quigley asked, looking right at Duncan. He put his hand out to him for a fistbump. Duncan spluttered for a bit, looking desperately between his brother and Klaus. Quigley let out a laugh as Duncan’s face grew beet red. “I’m kidding, we all know you’re bunking with Klaus. I’m totally glad to have my own room.” 

“Quigley, that was mean,” Isadora giggled. 

“Oh, like you never make fun of his crush on Klaus?” Quigley challenged. 

“I do _not_ have a crush on Klaus!” Duncan squeaked, his voice cracking. 

“Uh, I’m just going to go to bed now,” Klaus mumbled, his face bright red. 

“Klaus, wait!” Duncan called desperately at the boy’s retreating back. “I don’t like you!” 

Klaus gave him a thumbs-up, a bemused expression as his face as he shut the door.

“Ouch,” Quigley muttered as everyone started laughing. 

Duncan’s eyes grew wide. “I didn’t mean it like that!” 

“Duncan, just go to bed!” Isadora told him in between her bouts of laughter. Her brother nodded, a sheepish look on his face. 

“Hey, for what it’s worth, Klaus really likes you too,” Violet told him as he reached the door. 

Duncan’s face paled. “Okay,” he managed meekly as he opened the door. He turned his attention to Klaus as he stepped into the room. “I am so so so sorry!” 

He shut the door before Klaus could respond, and the rest of the group burst into a fit of giggles. 

“They’re in for a long night,” Sunny remarked with a smirk. 

“So are you,” Violet told her. “You need to help Beatrice get situated.” 

Sunny gave her a look. “Beatrice is seven, she doesn’t need me to babysit her.” 

“Beatrice is only seven,” Violet repeated. “Of course she needs someone to watch her.” 

“You let me be a spy and I wasn’t even two years old,” Sunny reminded her, a hand on her hip. 

“That was because you insisted on it and we were in a life-or-death situation,” Violet pointed out. “Things are different now; we’re trying to make life more normal.” 

“We lived on a deserted island for two years and we’re raising a kid that’s not even close to being ours because we killed her dad and her mom died from a fucking mushroom!” Sunny yelled. “Life will never be normal for us!” 

“Sunny!” Violet snapped. “Just fucking help Bea settle in tonight! Alright?” 

Isadora and Quigley exchanged a look. It suddenly felt very much like they were intruding on a private moment between the Baudelaires.

“I’ll really be fine on my own,” Beatrice offered, her voice soft. 

“No, Bea, Sunny is your big sister and she is going to help you feel at home here tonight,” Violet insisted, giving Sunny a very pointed look. “Aren’t you?” 

“Sure thing, _Mom,”_ Sunny replied, her voice oozing sarcasm. She gave Violet a glare before grabbing Beatrice’s hand and leading her to their room. 

Violet visibly deflated, dropping her head in her hands as she leaned on the wall for support. Isadora hesitated before wordlessly placing a hand on the eldest Baudelaire girl’s shoulder. It took a moment, but eventually Violet leaned into her touch. 

“A-Are you okay?” Quigley asked, breaking the silence. 

Violet shook her head. “I just… It feels like I can’t connect to her anymore,” she confessed. “When she was a baby, we understood each other perfectly. Now, it’s like we can’t make it ten minutes without fighting.” 

“Maybe she’s just hitting puberty or something,” Quigley suggested. “Hormones are a bitch.” 

Violet gave him a dubious look. “She’s nine,” she told him. 

“Oh,” he shrugged. “The pre-hormonal stage can be just as bad.” 

“Quigley, you’re an idiot,” Isadora snorted. 

“What?” he asked defiantly. “It’s true!” 

Isadora shook her head at him. She turned to Violet, lightly brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Are you ready for bed?” she asked her. 

She nodded. “Yeah.” 

“Okay, then let’s go,” Isadora said, opening the bedroom door for her. Violet gave her a grateful look before pausing and turning back to Quigley. 

“Goodnight, Quigley,” she called before heading inside. 

“Goodnight,” he replied, giving her a soft, sweet smile. “I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“You’re trying too hard,” Isadora told him, speaking quietly so that Violet wouldn’t overhear. 

Quigley shrugged. “Maybe you’re not trying hard enough.” 

Isadora scoffed. “I guess we’ll see.” 

“That we will,” Quigley smirked. “See you tomorrow, Izzy.” 

Isadora couldn’t help but smile, hearing the name her brothers used when they were all too little to be able to pronounce the name Isadora.

“Night, Quiggles,” she replied, returning the favor. “Sweet dreams.” 

She shut the door, trying to make her way over to her bed in the dark. She nearly fell on her face as she stumbled over a rug that was suddenly underfoot, letting out a soft, _“shit!”_ A light clicked on, and Isadora could see Violet letting go of the lamp’s pull-chain. After that, it was a much easier journey to the bed. Isadora flopped down with a contented sigh. 

“Thank you,” she grinned, rolling to face Violet. 

Violet nodded, giving her a soft smile in return. “Tomorrow will be better,” she promised suddenly. 

“What do you mean?” Isadora asked her, bewildered. “I thought today was pretty fucking fantastic. I mean, I got to see you again. How do you expect to top that?” 

Violet smirked. “That part’s a surprise.” 

Isadora sat up. “Oh?” 

“Oh,” Violet giggled. “Now get some sleep.” 

“Ditto,” Isadora responded, turning off the light. 

The girls were silent after that, and it wasn’t until Isadora was nearly asleep that she heard Violet’s voice whisper through the dark, so soft that Isadora was sure she’d imagined it. 

_“I’m so glad you’re back.”_


	2. Quite the Rude Awakening

So, rain hadn’t been in the forecast. The unexpected downpour kind of threw a wrench in the game plan for the day. Klaus looked over at Violet, who was in the middle of burning a batch of pancakes, waiting for her to make the first move, but she didn’t offer anything up in terms of a solution. After a moment she glanced over and caught him staring. 

“What?” she asked. 

Klaus shrugged. “I was kind of hoping you’d have a backup plan,” he confessed. 

His older sister let out a sigh. “Honestly, I really didn’t plan on the rain.” 

Klaus returned his attention to the window, watching the thunderstorm raging outside. He and Violet had planned a whole day for the Quagmires, a sort of welcome-back-we-missed-you kind of gala. The Baudelaires had arrived early the previous morning, and so they’d gotten a better lay of the land than the Quagmires did, as they hadn’t arrived until late last night. Violet and Klaus had planned to show them the stables-- Klaus knew Duncan was going to fall in love with Honey, a palomino Morgan mare. While the five oldest children were out riding, Sunny would entertain Beatrice by having her help bake a cake. After they ate, Violet had wanted to show them the view of the sunset from the top branches of a large oak tree on the edge of the property line, where she had been keeping a lookout for the taxicab yesterday, and she claimed it was one of the most amazing views in the world. Currently, however, it was not looking like they’d be able to spend the day outside. 

“We could play hide-and-seek,” Beatrice suggested, bouncing on her toes a bit at the prospect. 

Violet and Klaus exchanged a look, weighing their options. “That’s a good idea,” Violet said hesitantly, “but I don’t think a game of hide-and-seek will last long enough for Sunny to bake the cake.” 

“Are you kidding?” Beatrice replied, gesturing around at the two-story manor. “Look at this place! How long do you think it’ll take to find five hiding people?” 

Sunny shrugged. “She’s got a point. You guys can play a few rounds, and I’ll bake really fast.”

“Besides,” Klaus added, “what else are we going to do today?” 

Violet thought for a second before giving in. “Alright. Go wake them up,” she instructed, sliding a couple charred pancakes onto a plate. 

Klaus smiled, taking Beatrice by the hand as the three youngest Baudelaires went back to the rooms. He paused just before leaving the kitchen to watch as Violet poked one of the lesser-burnt pancakes with a spatula, a hopeful expression on her face. “Vi, just get down some bowls for cereal.” 

She flipped him off, but the last Klaus saw of her she was indeed climbing onto the counter to reach the dishware cupboard. When they reached the hallway with their rooms, Beatrice skipped to the right and said, “I’ll wake Izzy up.” 

“Remember to be polite about it,” Klaus called before going back to the room he and Duncan shared. 

He sucked in a breath, thinking about last night. How the Quagmires had said that Duncan had a crush on Klaus-- which was preposterous. There was only a slim possibility that a boy like him could be interested in a boy like Klaus. As soon as he’d closed the door, Klaus had laid down on his bed, keeping his back to the door so the others wouldn’t see him. He knew the teasing was all in good fun, and yet it still hurt to be reminded that the person he’d been dreaming about for the past two years would never feel the same way. When Duncan had come in, panicked and apologizing to him over and over, Klaus had assured him that everything was fine, but they had ended the night on a bit of an awkward note because Klaus hadn’t been able to bring himself to look at his new roommate. Klaus hoped today would be better. 

“Rise and shine,” he murmured, gently shaking Duncan awake. Duncan scooted away, his eyes still firmly closed. “Hey, Duncan, wake up.” 

“Mmmmmmm,” Duncan groaned, letting out a huge yawn and rubbing his eyes. “Whyyy?” 

“Because it’s almost noon, that’s why,” Klaus grinned. “You don’t want to sleep the whole day away, do you?” 

“Yup, I wanna be in bed,” Duncan mumbled, turning his head to bury it in his pillow. “Want to join me?” 

Klaus choked, instantly wishing his brain had interpreted that in any other way. Luckily, he was spared the dignity of a response because the next sound they heard was a muffled scream coming from Violet and Isadora’s room. Klaus and Duncan jumped to their feet, hearts pounding. Sunny and Quigley joined them in the hall, looking just as scared. Klaus couldn’t stop imagining Count Olaf and all the horrible things he’d done, but when he and the Quagmire brothers reached the bedroom, all they saw was Beatrice holding an empty water bottle as she stood over a dripping-wet Isadora. 

It didn’t take long to figure out what had happened. 

“Bea,” Klaus sighed. “What did I tell you right before sending you in here?” 

“You said to wake Isadora up,” Beatrice replied with a shrug. “She didn’t want to get up, so I grabbed some cold water.” 

“Beatrice--”

“Fucking shit!” Violet snarled and the door flew open as she rushed into the room, armed with a frying pan. She stopped, noting that the only people in the room were the Quagmires and her siblings. She lowered the pan. “What the hell’s going on in here?” 

“‘A rude awakening,” Isadora recited, turning to look at Beatrice, “will lead to a chastening.’” 

“That it will,” Klaus agreed, also looking over at the youngest Baudelaire. “I told you to be polite about it. How in the world is dumping water on someone polite?” 

Beatrice shrugged. “It keeps her hydrated.” 

“Goddammit,” Klaus muttered as Quigley started laughing. 

“Do I smell pancakes?” Isadora asked, sniffing the air with a hopeful expression. 

“None that are edible,” Klaus clarified. “There’s a reason we usually let Sunny do the cooking.” 

“You know what? Let’s just all go eat, and then we’ll play hide-and-seek afterward,” Violet said, eliciting a quiet,  _ “yes!”  _ from Beatrice. 

“Hide-and-seek?” Quigley questioned. 

_ Bea’s idea,  _ Violet mouthed, nodding her head at the girl. 

_ Oh,  _ Quigley mouthed back. He smiled broadly. “I love hide-and-seek!” 

“Then let’s hurry up and eat so we can play!” Beatrice reasoned, dashing out of the room. 

Quigley clapped his hands together. “You heard the lady!” he announced. “Let’s eat, so we can play!” And then he, too, ran down the hall, his arms straight and sticking out behind him. 

Violet giggled. “He’s such a dork,” she whispered, probably to herself.

Duncan shook his head at his brother’s antics before starting that way himself, at a more refined pace. Klaus was quick to follow. “Real talk,” Duncan said. “How bad are the pancakes?” 

“You’d be better off eating coal,” Klaus warned him. 

Duncan nodded, looking sad. “Those poor flapjacks. What did they ever do to your sister?” 

“They let her cook them,” Sunny giggled from behind. Klaus and Duncan laughed along with her. 

Breakfast was a quick affair. Beatrice ate her cereal as quickly as possible so they could all get to the game, and Quigley followed suit, scarfing his down in an increasingly ridiculous way until he was just lapping it up like a dog, getting milk and cheerios all over his face. Beatrice was cracking up, and by the triumphant gleam in the boy’s eye, Klaus knew that had been Quigley’s goal all along. Isadora offered to take care of the dishes, and so she joined Violet in the kitchen to help clean up while everyone started peeking around the house, trying to scout out good hiding places. At last, the two oldest girls finished cleaning and joined the boys and Beatrice in the living room. 

“I’ll count to one hundred,” Violet informed everyone. “Hide anywhere you want, but nobody goes into the kitchen or outside. Got it?” 

“Isn’t Sunny going to play?” Quigley wondered, looking to the young chef, who sat on the edge of the counter, swinging her legs.

“And why can’t we hide in the kitchen?” Duncan asked. 

Klaus shot Violet a panicked look; so much for the cake being a surprise. 

Luckily, Violet recovered quickly. “We just don’t want anyone thinking the oven is a safe place to hide,” she lied, adding a dramatic gesture towards Beatrice so everyone would know she was referring to the youngest Baudelaire. 

“Besides, I’m a little too old to be playing hide-and-seek,” Sunny remarked, giving Quigley a pointed look. Quigley stuck his tongue out at her, and she flipped him off in return.

“That’s enough, Sunny.” Violet covered her eyes. “Alright, it’s go time. One… two… three… four… five…” 

Everybody jumped up and scattered throughout the house. Klaus watched Isadora and Quigley run down the hall. He decided his best bet would be to hide upstairs somewhere. He took the steps two at a time, trying his best to hurry and still be somewhat quiet. Violet’s strategy was always to listen to where everybody’s footsteps disappeared to and try to track them from there. It did mean that going upstairs would give him a bit of a disadvantage, but hopefully the multitude of rooms would throw her off. He dashed around for a minute, weighing his options before settling on a hallway running along the northernmost side of the house. There was a giant chest beneath the windowsill that he could hide in, but he was positive that would be the first thing Violet would check if she came up here. He looked across the hallway, to where a giant suit of armor was set up. Maybe he could fit in there…?

“...eighty-nine… ninety… ninety-one…” 

Shit, there was no time! He couldn’t squeeze himself in there in nine seconds! He dashed behind the bulky metal suit, keeping himself hidden. Then he turned, seeing a set of black curtains hanging indistinctly on the wall beside it. If Klaus hadn’t stepped over here, he wouldn’t have even known the curtains existed. It was a brilliant hiding spot, Violet would never find him there! He maneuvered himself around them, pulling them over himself so that they covered his entire body, and then bunching them up so that it wasn’t super obvious there was a teenage boy behind them. 

“...ninety-nine… one hundred! Ready or not, here I come!” 

Klaus was ready. The last few times they’d played hide-and-seek, Klaus had been the first person found. Actually, it had been like that pretty much every game they’d played, until Sunny came along, but Klaus didn’t consider that too much of a victory given that Sunny had been a baby last time they’d played. This time felt like his chance to redeem himself, and he was going to take it. Was it weird to get so competitive over a children’s game? Probably, but Klaus didn’t care. A homicidal maniac had taken away his childhood, so if Klaus had to make up for it in his teenage years then Klaus was going to make up for it in his teenage years in whatever way he had to. If that meant winning a game of hide-and-seek, then so be it. That was just what his life had become, and he was fine with that. 

“It’s alright!” Beatrice suddenly yelled, racing around the corner to come running down Klaus’ hallway. “It’s alright, I’m back! I’m okay!” 

“Beatrice!” Klaus hissed, poking his head out from behind the curtains. “Be quiet, she’s coming!” 

Beatrice gave Klaus a puzzled look just as Violet turned the corner from the other end of the hall. “Beatrice,” she grinned, pointing to the youngest Baudelaire before turning to pick out her brother, “and Klaus. You two are out!” 

Beatrice turned to look at her big sister, and Klaus watched as her look of bewilderment only grew. “Weren’t you wondering where I was?” she asked, sounding completely befuddled. 

“That’s the whole point of the game, Bea,” Klaus sighed. He looked over at Violet. “I want a rematch, the only reason you found me is because I was talking to Beatrice--” 

“You guys!” Beatrice yelled, interrupting them. “How could you be so unbothered by this! You flipped out when I took five minutes to go get ice cream the other day, and now that I’m gone for like hours wandering around in the woods where I almost got kidnapped, you don’t even care?” 

Violet looked from Klaus to Beatrice and then again to Klaus, clearly baffled. “You...went outside? Wait, what?” she asked, turning her attention back to Beatrice. 

“What’s with all the yelling?” Quigley wondered, turning the corner. When he spotted Violet, an afflicted expression crossed his face. “Dammit! Does this mean I’m out?” 

“Everybody please hush up and listen to me!” Beatrice cried. “I found a path into a forest through an old wardrobe!”

Klaus and Violet shared a look. He didn’t know what they should do in this situation. Klaus had read lots of books on quantum theory, and most had included at least a little bit about the multiverse theory, but the one thing every book had said was that there was absolutely no evidence to support the existence of parallel universes, that it was just a theory and that currently there was no way to travel between dimensions, assuming other ones outside of our own even existed. It was therefore extremely hard to believe that a cross-dimensional portal simply existed in the back of some rich guy’s wardrobe. However, Klaus was not in the habit of outright denying anyone their theories based on their age alone; he and Violet had suffered so much at the hands of Count Olaf and his troupe, and they were both well aware that most if not all of their troubles could have been avoided had just one adult chosen to believe them when they’d told them what had been going on. As such, he had no clue how they should handle this now, because it felt like this should all just be a game Beatrice was playing, but she was acting very serious about the matter. 

“Okay,” Violet finally said, breaking the silence. “Let’s go check it out. Where’s this wardrobe?”


	3. Into the Woods

Beatrice had gone upstairs when Violet started to count. She’d been following after Klaus, but she’d lost him after he kept turning down random halls and doubling back to get a closer look at certain areas. Eventually Beatrice had simply picked a hallway-- one with a shiny suit of armor-- and she’d taken it all the way down until she found several empty rooms. Now, the empty rooms obviously didn’t offer her much in terms of hiding places, but the very final door had housed a beautiful, towering wardrobe large enough to fit all seven children comfortably. She had tugged open the door, and a blast of warm air had hit her, making her shudder a bit. She found it was stuffed full of adult-sized fur coats, all of them so fluffy she could barely see past them. It was the perfect hiding spot, and so she’d climbed quickly inside, shutting the door behind her. It had been slow going, wading through all the coats to force her way to the back of the wardrobe, and each step had felt like walking further and further into a pit of fire it was so warm. When she’d thought she’d finally reached the back, the floor had fallen out from under her and she’d dropped like a rock onto a hard stony ground. 

_ Stone  _ ground, she had realized, not wooden like the wardrobe. She had looked all around her, shocked and in awe of the scraggly mountain top she’d found herself on. There was a whole forest of trees surrounding her, but very few had any leaves. They all looked dead, as though they’d fried up under the hot desert sun. The land as a whole seemed entirely untouched by humans, aside from a single lamppost growing out of the rocks that seemed so out of place that it had left Beatrice speechless. Something about it was just so… different. She couldn’t quite describe it. It certainly didn’t seem necessary, as the ravine she’d stood upon had plenty of direct, sweltering sunlight without the addition of the small flame flickering away inside the top of the inapposite light post. Indeed, it had only been a few seconds before Beatrice was sweating and feeling the desperate need for some water. She’d turned to go back when the unmistakable  _ clip-clop  _ of footsteps sounded from nearby. She’d froze, looking all around but seeing no one. 

“Hello?” she’d called out, straining to hear past the hot wind in her ears. 

No response. 

“Show yourself!” she’d demanded, drawing herself up to her full height. A movement behind a large tree just south of the lamppost had caught her eye, and she’d taken a step towards it, her heart pounding. “Come on out now, I promise I won’t hurt you if you promise to be friendly.” 

A hand had slowly appeared from behind the tree, and had given her a wave. 

“It’s alright,” she’d encouraged, “I won’t bite.” 

Slowly a face had appeared, and the face had a pair of bright blue eyes like her big sister Violet had, and short scruffy hair like her brother Klaus. Most of all, he looked like her Uncle Lemony from the one picture she’d seen of him that her sister Sunny had found tucked inside her mom’s journal. There were a few differences, starting with the fact that the man in the photo had been clean shaven as opposed to having a goatee, and the fact that the gentleman that had stood before her had had two stubby horns growing out of the top of his head. Eventually the man had stepped out entirely from behind the tree, dabbing at his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief. It was then that Beatrice had realized he was not a man at all, for aside from the horns he’d also had very fuzzy legs that ended in two cloven hooves instead of the usual human feet. In fact, the more Beatrice had looked at him the more she’d thought he resembled a goat as well as a human. 

“I do apologize for hiding,” the goat-man had said, taking a hesitant step forward. “I was worried I’d frighten you if you saw me.” 

“I’m not scared,” Beatrice had promised. “Just…confused. I-I don’t know what you are.” 

“You don’t know what I am?” the goat-man had chuckled. “I’m a satyr!” 

“A satyr,” Beatrice had repeated, looking at the satyr with wonder in her eyes. 

“What about you?” the satyr had asked, crossing his arms with an amused expression on his face. “Are you perhaps a breed of beardless dwarf?” 

“Dwarf?” Beatrice had giggled. “I’m not a dwarf; I’m a girl!” 

The satyr had paled. “Y-You mean to tell me you’re a-a human?” 

“Yes,” Beatrice had replied, noticing his change in demeanor. “Why?” 

“It’s just… we don’t get many humans in Narnia,” the satyr had answered. “What are you doing here?” 

“I was hiding from my siblings,” Beatrice had explained. “We were playing a game and I found a spare room with the wardrobe in it and when I went inside I walked as far as I could until I found myself here.” 

“‘Wardrobe?’” the satyr had echoed, looking puzzled. “‘Spare room?’ I’m afraid I don’t follow.” 

“I…” Beatrice had stopped herself, only just registering what the satyr had answered. “Where did you say we were?” 

“Narnia!” the satyr had replied. “From the ground you stand on now to the Great Eastern Sea off the coast over there and all through these Western Woods is all Narnia.” 

“It’s an awfully warm place to live,” Beatrice had commented, fanning herself a bit. “If I lived here, I’d have to be constantly drinking water just so I don’t pass out from heat exhaustion.” 

The satyr had regarded her, and in hindsight Beatrice felt she should have known better than to trust any creature that wore such an anguished expression as it regarded her so scrupulously. As it were, when at last the satyr had broken the extended bit of silence by saying, “If you’d like, I could fetch you a glass of water. My house is just down this path,” Beatrice, instead of doing the sensible thing and running away, had replied with a cheerful, “Sure! I would appreciate that very much!” 

And thus the satyr had led her further into the mountain, away from the lamppost and the back of the wardrobe, towards his own private dwelling. Really, Beatrice was usually more careful than that. Most often she refused to even acknowledge a stranger unless she was in their shop or helping them pick up something they had dropped. With this particular stranger, however, she had faltered. Something about the familiarity of his face and the animalistic nature of his person had led her to put her guard down, and so she was not at all frightened when they reached his abode-- a small shack built right in the side of the mountain-- she had fearlessly walked right in, even stopping to wipe the sand off her shoes on the doormat. 

The satyr had headed right into his kitchen after wiping his hooves off and he’d filled a small metal cup with water and ice. As he’d set to work in the kitchen, Beatrice had wandered around, looking at the beautiful worn books on the shelves-- most of them, she had realized, were about mankind and whether they were a myth or some kind of elusive species. When the satyr had come over with the water, he had gestured kindly for her to sit in a big cushy armchair, and Beatrice had obliged. 

“Here you go, miss,” he had said, handing her the cup. 

“Beatrice,” she’d introduced herself, remembering suddenly that she’d never given him her name, nor had she gotten his. “And you are?” 

“My name is Jacques,” he had answered. 

“Pleased to meet you, Jacques,” Beatrice had responded, perfunctorily holding out her hand to the faun. “How do you do?” 

“Uh, I’m…well, thanks,” Jacques had said, looking at her outstretched arm with a bemused expression. 

“Sorry, you shake it,” Beatrice had clarified. 

“I, what?” Jacques had asked. “Why?” 

“Oh, it’s just what humans do when they meet someone,” Beatrice had explained. “It’s just a sort of ritual, I suppose.” 

“Ah,” Jacques had replied, understanding dawning on his face. He’d carefully taken the tips of her fingers in his hand. “Well I’m not one to break tradition.” Beatrice had giggled as the satyr had swung her hand around in a circle three times before letting her fingertips go. “It is very lovely to meet you, Miss Beatrice.” 

“The pleasure is all mine,” Beatrice had smiled, taking a sip of her water. “I feel much better already.” 

“It’s a pity you had to find us during our long summer,” Jacques had mused. “In the winter, Narnia gets covered in a deep snow. To stay warm, the citizens all gather around in the woods for a bonfire festival every other night. The satyrs dance around with the nymphs and the dryads all through the night, and there’s delicious food for everyone to enjoy. Oh, and the music-- ah, well, the music is just divine!” 

“It sounds wonderful,” Beatrice had sighed, doing her best to picture it in her mind’s eye. 

“It is,” Jacques had assured her, a faraway look in his eyes. He’d shaken his head as though forcing himself back to the present, and he’d turned his attention back to Beatrice. “W-Would you like to hear some?” 

Beatrice had nodded her head enthusiastically. “Oh, yes please!” 

Jacques had beamed, getting to his feet-- or rather, his hooves-- with a new gusto. He’d reached to grab a long, thin box from the mantle of the fireplace. He had opened it and pulled out a double flute, small enough that it was only slightly larger than the satyr’s palm. With a dramatic clearing of his throat and a cheerful wink, the satyr had begun to play. Beatrice had become instantly entranced, the melody having been melancholy and bittersweet in a grossly enchanting manor. Before too long, she had felt her eyes grow heavy and her lids had begun to droop. She had fought to stay awake, knowing it was a terribly rude thing to do to fall asleep while someone played one a song, particularly when they were playing it so beautifully. Despite her best efforts, Beatrice had fallen fast asleep. 

When she had awakened, the room had been dark, and the music had stopped, and the chair across from her had been empty. She’d squinted around the room, trying to see by the light of the full moon that shone in through the window. She had froze, suddenly realizing the gravity of her situation. It had been early in the afternoon when she’d first arrived in Narnia; looking around then it had been clearly very late at night. Her siblings and the Quagmires were probably freaking out, she had thought, and likely going out of their minds with worry trying to find her. 

“Oh, I really have to go,” she’d muttered to herself. 

“I’m afraid it might be too late for that,” Jacques had said, his voice breaking. Beatrice had started, jumping to her feet and looking around until at last she’d spotted the satyr, curled in a ball on the floor with his head in his hands. “I’m such a terrible satyr.” 

“What are you talking about?” Beatrice had said soothingly, crouching down beside him. “You’re the nicest satyr I’ve ever met. I’m sure you can’t have done anything that bad.” 

“I’m afraid it’s not anything I  _ have  _ done, Miss Beatrice,” he’d said mournfully. “It’s something I’m  _ doing. _ ” 

Beatrice had regarded him with suspicion. “Wh-what are you doing?” she’d asked. 

Jacques had let out a shaky breath, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. Tears had been leaking out of his as he’d confessed, “I’m kidnapping you.” 

Beatrice’s world had closed in around her as she’d scrambled to her feet and stumbled back a step. She’d paused a moment, gazing down at the wretched creature who had, up until that moment, only been kind to her. She’d thought of all the stories Klaus and Sunny had told her of their captor, how they had known something was off about him right from the start, and as she’d contemplated the satyr at her feet she couldn’t help but feel he was not at all the same. Her siblings had suspected their enemy right from the start; hers had been worse, a deeper pain, as is often the case when the betrayal is at the hands of a friend. 

“It’s the Fire Warlock,” Jacques had explained, and his words had tumbled over one another as he’d tried desperately to make Beatrice understand his terrible deeds. “He’s the one who makes it always summer, never winter or spring or anything other than a desert’s heat. He gave orders-- he said if anyone was ever to find a human child wandering the woods w-w-we were supposed to take them and turn them over to him.” 

“Jacques, you wouldn’t,” Beatrice had said firmly, looking over the satyr. Her heart had dropped as he’d turned away, unable to look her in the eyes. “I-I thought you were my friend.” 

Jacques had looked at her then, a heartbroken look on his face as he’d regarded the petrified child. A steely look of determination had crossed his features as he’d pushed himself to his hooves. 

“I  _ am  _ your friend, Miss Beatrice,” he’d told her, taking her gently by the hand. “Now, come with me; we’re getting you out of here.” 

And so Beatrice had followed him back through the mountains, back to the ravine where the lamppost burned bright and bold, back to where the wardrobe lay hidden in a mess of dead branches and rocks, and she had pushed her way through all the stuffy coats until she’d emerged to find herself back in the spare room in the upstairs of the Professor’s manor. 

She had done all of this, and she had not a single doubt in her mind about it. 

Which is why it was extremely frustrating to be standing there, once more inside that spare room with the giant wardrobe, and be looked down on with such disbelieving expressions on everyone’s faces. 

“Bea,” Violet told her gently, “the only wood in there is the backside of the wardrobe.” 

“It’s okay to have an imagination,” Klaus said kindly. “We just don’t all share your same creativity.” 

“But it wasn’t my imagination!” Beatrice insisted. She looked desperately over to Quigley, who had been so supportive of her so far, but he quickly moved to avoid her gaze. Not before she caught sight of the dubious look on his face, however. Her face fell. “I’m telling the truth!” 

“Beatrice,” Klaus said, a serious look on his face. “That’s enough.” 

“I wouldn’t lie about this!” she promised. 

“I believe you,” Sunny announced, looking nonchalant about all of this. 

“Y-You do?” Beatrice asked, giving her a small smile. 

“Of course,” Sunny shrugged, and Beatrice’s heart sank as her sister sarcastically added, “Didn’t I tell you about the French restaurant I found in the bathroom cupboard downstairs?” 

“Read the room, Sunny,” Violet snapped. “Now’s really not the time!”

Sunny glared at her. “It was just a joke, Vi! You don’t have to take everything so seriously.” 

“You always have to go and make everything worse, don’t you?” Violet huffed. She shook her head at the girl as Sunny opened her mouth to retaliate, but Violet beat her to the punch, saying, “Honestly, when are you going to learn to grow the fuck up?” 

“Shut up!” Sunny screamed at her. “You keep trying to act like you’re Mom, but you’re not! You’ll never be half the woman she was, so just stop fucking trying!” 

With that, she turned on her heel and rushed out of the room, leaving Violet to stand there with a wounded expression that only grew deeper as Klaus sighed and, turning an accusatory glare on his older sister, remarked, “Well, the way you handled  _ that  _ was just  _ amazing!” _ before hurrying after the younger Baudelaire. Quigley and Duncan exchanged looks and then followed him out. Isadora paused to offer the eldest Baudelaire a sympathetic smile and a soft shoulder squeeze before she trailed after her brothers. 

Beatrice watched Violet for a moment, who looked like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, and was getting to be much too heavy for her. 

“Violet,” Beatrice said softly, looking at her sister with a pleading expression. “I promise; it really  _ was there.”  _

“Klaus is right, Bea,” Violet sighed, turning to leave the room. “That’s enough.” 

Beatrice stayed for a moment, staring at the old wardrobe and wondering why, why, why hadn’t it worked the same for her siblings as it had for her? She opened the door, expecting to feel that blast of warm air that had been there before, but she felt nothing. It was just a wardrobe. With a dejected sigh, she turned and left the room, leaving the old wardrobe behind in an otherwise empty spare room. Maybe her siblings were right. Maybe enough was enough. 


	4. It's Always Sunny....

Sunny buried her face in her pillow, letting out a harsh, angry scream. She didn’t understand why Violet was so hard on her. When they were little, Violet had acted like Sunny was her whole world, letting her help them plot their escapes and trusting her enough to be a spy while always sticking close enough that Sunny had never felt like she was in any real danger. Now, though, it felt more like Violet considered her a burden, just a useless child she had to take care of and keep healthy and alive. She didn’t know what had changed. She really didn’t. 

It fucking sucked. 

“Sunny?” Klaus called, knocking gently on the open bedroom door. “Can we talk?” 

“No,” Sunny told him, turning in her bed so that her back was to the door. 

“Sunny,” Klaus sighed, putting on his lecture voice, “I just--” 

“Spare me, Klaus,” Sunny spat. “Okay? Just leave me alone, I’m fucking spent.” 

There was a brief pause, and then the silence was interrupted by another knock at the door. Sunny sat up, aiming her best murderous glare at the door. “Klaus--” 

But it wasn’t Klaus. 

Sunny huffed when she glanced at the door. “What do you want, Bea?” The little girl shrugged, aiming a pitying look at her that Sunny was not at all about. “Then I can’t help you. Go find Quigley.” 

“Quigley’s not my brother,” Beatrice protested. 

“Neither am I,” Sunny snapped. 

“You’re my sister,” Beatrice pointed out. 

“No, actually, I’m not,” Sunny reminded her. “You’re an orphan, like us, and Violet promised your mom we’d take care of you when I was just a baby, so I’m really not--” 

Sunny stopped, seeing Beatrice’s eyes fill with tears. Even in her anger, Sunny’s heart broke watching the girl. She sighed, and sat up on the bed, opening her arms to the girl. Beatrice raced over and dove into the embrace. Sunny let out a sigh, holding tight to her little sister.

“I didn’t mean that,” Sunny promised. “I’m just… I’m super pissed off, but not at you. I’m sorry I acted like I was.” 

Beatrice shrugged. “It’s okay,” she mumbled against Sunny’s shoulder. 

“No,” Sunny shook her head, “it’s not. So to make it up to you, I’m going to break the rules for you.” 

Beatrice frowned. “Which rule?” 

“The rule that says you can only eat one small slice of cake,” Sunny said, taking her by the hand. “Come on, help me finish it and I’ll cut you off a big slice.” 

“How big?” Beatrice asked. 

Sunny put a hand on her chin, pretending to ponder it for a moment. “So big,” she said finally, “that when everyone looks at the missing pieces, they’ll think we ate three. Just don’t tell anyone. Deal?” 

“Deal!” Beatrice beamed. 

For a minute, Sunny felt more relaxed, like everything might actually be alright. Until about an hour later, when the cake was cooling and waiting for frosting. Beatrice had stepped away to use the bathroom, and Sunny finally had a minute alone. The time went away altogether too quickly, however, and her sense of peace was shattered as her big sister walked into the kitchen, her head down as she had apparently decided to ignore Sunny entirely. 

“The fuck are you doing here?” Sunny growled as Violet opened the fridge. 

Violet paused, still refusing to look at her younger sibling. “I’m grabbing a water,” she answered, her voice curt. “Is that okay?” 

“How should I know?” Sunny sneered. “You’re the one making up all the rules.” 

Violet slammed the fridge shut. “For fuck’s sake, Sunny--” 

“Why don’t you just stay the fuck away from me? If you fucking came in here to argue--” 

“I didn’t come here to argue, I came here for water--” 

“Fuck off, Violet!” 

“Sunny--” 

“Stop it!” Beatrice demanded, crossing her arms as she glared at her two older sisters. “Just stop fighting already!” 

Violet’s expression softened. “I’m sorry, Bea.” she turned back to Sunny, her expression right back to dour. “Make sure she gets to bed on time, alright?” 

“Fuck you,” Sunny scoffed. 

“Awesome,” Violet huffed, stomping her way out of the kitchen. 

“Why are you being so mean to Violet?” Beatrice asked. 

Sunny shrugged, doing her best to mask her annoyance. She popped open the can of whipped cream frosting and smeared a dollop onto Beatrice’s nose as she told the younger girl, “that’s classified. Now c’mon and help me frost the cake.” 

Beatrice looked glum as she shook her head and said, “No, that’s okay.” She turned to look in the direction where Violet had walked off in. “I better go check and make sure she’s okay.” 

_Right_ , Sunny thought as she watched her go. She’d very nearly forgotten that it was basically illegal to be mad at Violet. Well, newsflash: the young inventor could be a bitch just like everybody else. Sunny didn’t have to put up with her all the damn time. Whatever. She would deal.

  
  
  


Sunny didn’t have any sort of idea what time it was. All she knew was that it was way too late for Beatrice to be making so much noise, what with the creaking fucking floorboards and the shitty squeaky door that apparently couldn’t be closed quietly and had to be basically fucking slammed. Sunny sat up with a groan, rolling to face Beatrice’s now-empty bed. Where had the little shit gone? What was the goal here? It didn’t matter, Sunny decided, rolling back over in her bed. Except that now she couldn’t sleep. Sunny-- like her brother Klaus-- couldn’t stand the thought of an unanswered question. She just couldn’t. Sunny knew she would never be able to fall back asleep if she didn’t get up and follow her little sister. Fuck, it was times like these that Sunny felt her ability to eavesdrop was both a blessing and a curse. She heaved a big sigh before sliding her feet into her slippers and cracking open the door. 

Beatrice was heading down the hallway in the opposite direction of the bathroom, so she wasn’t taking a late-night leak. She was, however, heading in the direction of the kitchen, the front door, and the stairs. That was peculiar. Staying a good several steps behind her, Sunny followed Beatrice all the way to the base of the stairs, then up the steps and around to the northernmost hallway and down until they walked past all the rooms, stopping at the very last one. Beatrice hesitated before opening the door and slipping inside. Sunny paused for a second before sneaking into the room as well, and it wasn’t until her eyes adjusted to the dark that Sunny suddenly realized which room they were in. She scowled, watching Beatrice duck back into the wardrobe. 

She couldn’t actually believe there was some magical land inside, could she? They’d seen a lot of crazy things, including a harmless snake called the Incredibly Deadly Viper, Lachrymose Leeches that would attack anyone who had undigested food in their bellies, a hypnotist disguised as an optometrist, and that was only in the first season of an entire series of unfortunate events in their lives. There were still several other mystifying and horrifying things they had experienced. Still, Sunny had a hard time believing that there was a portal to a parallel universe in the back of some old Professor’s glorified closet. It was more than likely that Beatrice was just sleepwalking, her subconscious projecting that silly little game she’d been playing with them all earlier that day, thereby leading her once more to return to this wooden wardrobe even in her sleep. Should that be the case, Sunny actually should follow, just in case the girl got tangled up in one of the coats and found herself unable to make her way back to bed. It wasn’t too much of a stretch to assume that Sunny was the one who would be blamed if that were to happen. She could hear Violet now, saying, “You share a room with her, how could you not know she was gone,” or, “You’re her big sister, Sunny, it’s your job to look after her.” It was very hypocritical, the way Violet had been acting. _She_ was Violet’s younger sibling. Why couldn’t Violet look out for _her?_

She used to, before the Island. Ever since they’d left, it was Beatrice this and Beatrice that, and “Sunny you need to help out more, you need to look out for Beatrice.” Well, if Violet wanted Beatrice looked after in the middle of the night, she should have chosen to room with her herself, but _nooooo_ she’d decided to board with Isadora instead. As if it wasn’t obvious why that might be convenient for the two oldest girls. When Sunny had told them to get a room all those years ago, this was certainly not what she had meant. Still, she was already up and halfway across the house from where her room was. She might as well grab the girl and herd her back to bed. The quicker this chore was done, the quicker they could both go back to sleep, and then Sunny could avoid another unnecessary lecture from her sister-mother Violet. With a sigh, Sunny strode over to the wardrobe, yanking open the door. She was surprised when she was hit with a blast of warm air, similar to how it felt when she’d open the oven up after letting it preheat to the desired temperature. Unusual for a wardrobe, but weirder things had happened in the lives of the Baudelaires. Sunny pressed on, climbing all the way inside the wardrobe after her sister. The door shut behind her, encasing her in darkness. 

“Beatrice!” Sunny hissed, straining to hear the girl’s footsteps. “Bea!” 

When she got no reply, Sunny pinched the bridge of her nose before starting forward directly into the mess of fur coats. It was a little suffocating, shoving her way past all the fur, and the warm air grew hotter and stuffier with each step she took. At one point, she was sure she felt something very sharp and very pointy jab her in the arm. Sunny yelped, leaping back instinctively. It was probably just a broken coat hanger or something. She trudged forward, determined to find Beatrice and take her back to bed, and the more time she spent stumbling around inside the wardrobe the more annoyed she got. A part of her wondered how she hadn’t reached the back yet; from the outside, it had looked big, yes, but this was ridiculous! It felt like she’d gone several more feet than the wooden closet should have allowed. The ground suddenly dropped out from under her feet and Sunny dropped with a shriek onto the floor. “Ow,” she huffed, struggling to her knees so she could brush the dirt off. 

_Wait a minute…._

Yes, that was indeed sand on her hands. And the ground around her was a mix of hard stone and loose, reddish-brown dirt like a bunch of dissolved clay had been scattered across the ground. It sort of reminded her of the Hinterlands, except this landscape wasn’t nearly as flat. In fact, when Sunny looked around she saw she was on a mountain, standing near a ravine. There were also several dead trees around, blocking her view, although they did little to block the glare from the evening sun that was suddenly shining in her eyes. Most oddly, a few feet from her there was a tall, glowing lamppost. 

“B-Beatrice!” Sunny called, realizing she must be in her sister’s fantasy world. “I believe you about the wardrobe now!” 

She panted a little, her throat already feeling dry under the incessantly beating sun. She froze, hearing a strange noise coming from down the mountain a bit. It was an odd sort of grunting noise, and it brought to mind vague memories of a large black snake. Sunny smiled, recalling now that she’d befriended the Incredibly Deadly Viper when she was young. She recognized now that the grunts she was hearing were quite reptilian, though maybe not from a snake. She picked her way through the trees and over the rocks, trailing after the noise. She hurried around a boulder and suddenly had to leap back, falling on her ass, as a large sleigh shot around the bend. 

“Hey!” she yelled. “Watch where you’re going!” 

The sleigh halted to a stop, and for a moment, Sunny panicked. A woman hopped out, a severe look on her face as she trudged up to the girl. Sunny froze, staring at the woman. She looked strangely familiar, though Sunny knew for a fact that she had never been to this place before, and she would certainly have remembered meeting a woman wearing a tight red dress adorned with iridescent orange and yellow fabric across the bodice and the sleeves, a flowing black cloak wrapped around her from the back, and topped off with a yellow-and-white headdress that concealed the entirety of her hair as well as most of her forehead. Her green eyes seemed very reptilian, and there was a slight hissing coming from her pursed lips. 

“Who are you,” the woman hissed in a slightly accented voice, “that you would dare speak to me that way and expect to live to tell the tale?” 

Sunny opened and closed her mouth a few times, shocked, before she managed to say, “I’m Sunny. S-Sunny Baudelaire, ma’am. And you are?” 

The woman cackled at this. “Who am I?” she demanded. “WHO AM I?” 

Sunny cowered, afraid of what the woman might do to her, but she was spared by the sound of another passenger on the sleigh hopping to the ground and making his way over. Sunny almost screamed when she saw him. He was a great big ogre, his rough, bumpy skin a greyish-green hue and his eyes so small she could barely see them. Her terrified face was nearly reflected back at her through his shiny, bald head as he bent down to look at her past his long, hooked nose. “If I may, Your Majesty,” the bald ogre spoke. “I might forgive the girl this once. She doesn’t appear to be from around here.” 

The woman’s eyes widened. “You mean she’s….” The woman whirled back around to face Sunny. “You there! What are you?” 

Sunny’s mouth dropped open, a dumbfounded expression on her face. “Uh, I’m a human,” she informed her. “I’m sorry, I don’t really know what I’m doing here. I was just following my sister.” 

“Your sister,” the woman repeated, her eyes narrowing. “How many are you?” 

“Well, I have three other siblings, but we also live with the Quagmires, and there’s three more of them, so that makes seven in total,” Sunny explained in a rush. Seeing the woman’s face-- who the ogre had referred to as Her Majesty, meaning she was probably royalty of some sort-- she hurriedly added, “It’s just me and my sister here now. The others stayed home, th-they’re not here. I wouldn’t be either, except that my sister was here before and she made a big deal out of it when she got back, going on and on about finding a magical land and meeting a satyr named Jacques, so when she climbed into the wardrobe I sort of just climbed in after her.” 

The bald ogre and the royal woman shared a look. “Your sister,” the woman said again. “Is she your triplet?” 

“Uh,” Sunny said, trying to recall when she had mentioned the word ‘triplet.’ “No, we’re not even blood. That would be the Quagmires.” 

“The Quagmires?” the woman mused. 

“The other children we live with,” Sunny answered. “There’s three of them? They’re triplets.” 

“But they aren’t here now,” the woman clarified. 

Sunny shook her head. “No.” 

“But you could bring them?” 

Sunny took a step back, wondering if she should just run right on back through the wardrobe. It was a tough call. She didn’t know if she could make it in time, or what she would tell the others if she tried to explain to them that she’d entered Bea’s fantasy world and it had turned out to be possibly dangerous, and then have to add that she’d left Bea behind. 

The woman with the sleigh seemed to sense her hesitation. “I do apologize if I’ve frightened you,” she said, and she sounded truly sorry. “I’m afraid, being queen, I sometimes forget that not everyone I meet is plotting an assassination.” 

Sunny looked up at her. “You’re the queen?” 

The queen laughed. “Yes, of course!” she confirmed. “Do you think I wear this silly headdress for my own amusement? No, I wear it because I’m the Queen of Narnia, the Countess of Cair Paravel, the adoring wife of the Great Fire Warlock!” 

Sunny stared at her, stunned. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond to any of that.

“Why don’t you come and sit with me,” the queen requested, still chuckling slightly at Sunny’s shock. “We can have a little chat.” 

Sunny wanted to say no, but she didn’t dare refuse a queen. She wasn’t quite the researcher that Klaus was, so she didn't know exactly what happened when a visitor turned down the command of a country’s queen, but Sunny decided she'd rather not find out. She followed the queen to her sleigh, allowing the woman the time to hop in first and get settled before climbing in after her. The queen glanced at her, offering her a warm smile. 

“Might I offer you a drink?” the queen asked. 

Sunny nodded politely. “Yes please, Your Majesty.” 

The queen grinned, pulling out a flask from within the folds of her dress. She leaned over the side of the sleigh, flicking off the cap and tilting the flask over the side. A single drop fell and hit the ground, and the smoldering liquid inside snaked up and around, forming a gorgeous silver chalice filled to the brim with a shiny golden drink. The bald ogre reverently picked up the chalice and handed it to his queen.

“Nectar of the Fireflower,” the queen informed her, passing her the cup. “Drink of the Divine.” 

Sunny put the cup to her lips, taking a quick sniff before allowing a small mouthful of the liquid to pass across her tongue. She sucked in a breath and instantly took another sip. ‘Divine’ didn’t begin to cover how wondrous the beverage tasted. “This tastes amazing,” Sunny grinned. “How did you do that?” 

The queen waved a hand dismissively. “That’s nothing. I can make anything you like.” 

Sunny snorted. “Can you make my big sister stop being so goddamn bossy?” 

The queen offered Sunny a sympathetic smile. “Anything you’d like to eat?” she amended.

Sunny was surprised to find her mind going back to when she was a toddler and held captive on Mount Fraught. She wasn’t sure why she was remembering that now, or what had prompted her to think of it, but it did help her answer the queen’s question. “Lox, if that’s alright.” 

The queen gave her a grin. “Didn’t I say anything?” She leaned back over the sleigh, letting another droplet fall from her flask and hit the stone. This time the droplet turned into a shiny silver platter, with perfectly crisped bagels arranged in a circle, each one holding a chunk of salmon brined and seasoned with a lemon butter sauce. The queen took the chalice as Sunny took a bite of the food. 

“It’s delicious,” Sunny smiled. “Thank you.” 

“Now that we’ve managed to curb your appetite,” the queen said, “I thought we could discuss this problem you have with your older sister.” 

“Oh,” Sunny said, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about it, Your Majesty. I was only joking.” 

“My dear girl, don’t you know that in every joke there lies a nugget of truth?” the queen said. “I look at you, and I see so much of myself in that tiny frame that I can’t keep from wanting to help. You see, I too was held back by my siblings, and it wasn’t until I broke free of them that I finally realized my full potential. I want you to know, because I can’t help but feel like not enough people have told you this in your life: _you have potential._ From what I can see, you have _a lot_ of potential, dear Sunny, enough that I can quite easily picture you becoming a very fine ruler of Narnia. Perhaps one day even queen.” 

Sunny looked over at the queen, incredulous. “Do you really mean it?” she asked, hesitantly. 

“With all my heart,” the queen smiled, and Sunny easily joined her. “Tell you what; I’d very much like to meet those Quagmires we discussed. Why don’t you bring them, along with your other siblings, and meet me at my palace. That way I can meet the triplets, and you and I can talk further about your future in royalty.” 

Sunny couldn’t stop herself from letting out a sigh. “Do you mean that Violet would be queen as well?” 

“Violet, I take it, is your sister?” the queen guessed. 

Sunny nodded, and the queen let out a laugh. “Don’t worry, I would never ask you to bring along your siblings just to watch me crown them as well,” she assured her. 

“Then why--” 

“Every queen needs loyal servants,” the queen explained with a sly smirk. 

Sunny felt a delighted grin crawl across her face. Devious, she knew, and yet it was a very delightful mental image. She bit her lip in contemplation, though in all honesty it wasn’t much of a debate. Not a minute later, Sunny told the queen, “I don’t imagine it being too difficult to bring them here.” 

“Attagirl,” the queen said, giving Sunny’s cheek a loving pat. “You go on and fetch them, and when you’re ready you bring them to my palace.” She pointed past the rocky ravine they were on, showing Sunny the valley between two distant mountain peaks. “Just over there is a large plateau. That’s where you’ll find my palace. Come visit me again, and bring me the triplets and your new servants. You and I will talk more about the duties you’ll inherit as new Narnian royalty.” 

“I won’t make you wait long, Your Majesty,” Sunny promised. 

The queen smiled at her one more time. “Until then, dear one.” 

Then the bald ogre hopped back aboard the sleigh, and it wasn’t until he whipped the creatures pulling it that Sunny realized there were two wingless dragons attached to the front. One of them blew steam as they lurched into motion, tugging the queen around the corner and back down the mountain. Sunny stood watching them until they were out of sight, planning her next move.


	5. An Epochal Witching-Hour

“That’s not so bad,” Isadora said comfortingly. 

Violet scoffed, sitting up in bed. “She told me to fuck off and to stay away from her. I seriously don’t know if Sunny and I will ever talk civilly to each other ever again.” 

“Please,” Isadora said. “ _Duncan_ and I have gotten into worse spats than that. Siblings fight, it’s just what we do. You and Sunny will be fine, just give her some space for awhile.” 

Violet sighed, trying her best to believe Isadora when she said that everything would be fine. It wasn’t a feeling that came easily. She must have looked as depressed as she felt because all of a sudden Isadora was sitting beside her and pulling her into her arms. Violet wasn’t an overtly physical person, but in times like these she was always grateful for some tangible forms of affection. Violet rested her chin on Isadora’s shoulder, relaxing into the embrace. She let out a soft, contented sigh. “What would I do without you?” she murmured into Isadora’s ear. She felt the girl shiver underneath her, and Violet shifted so that her breath wouldn’t hit so directly inside of her ear. 

“Luckily, you won’t have to find out,” Isadora promised. “Not if I can help it.” 

Violet smiled, feeling a warm feeling spread through her body. She couldn’t quite identify it, all she knew was that before she could stop herself she darted forward and placed a quick, gentle kiss on Isadora’s cheek, though she’d misjudged the distance a bit and so her lips brushed a spot rather close to the other girl’s mouth. Isadora blushed a deep red, and Violet scooted away from her to give her some space. 

“I’m sorry,” Violet apologized immediately. “I didn’t mean--” 

“It’s okay,” Isadora assured her. She looked over at her, staring at her in a way that made Violet suck in a breath. Her face flushed under the intensity of her gaze, and she swore she felt her heart stop as Isadora lifted her hand, placing a featherlight touch on her cheek. Time seemed to stop, and the only things registering in Violet’s usually-whirring brain were Isadora Quagmire and the frantic beating of her own heart. “It’s okay,” the girl said again, and Violet felt a pull with the strength of a magnet tugging her forward as Isadora’s eyes fluttered shut. 

“Violet!” Beatrice shouted, throwing open the bedroom door. Violet yelped and jumped away from her roommate, almost falling to the floor in her shock. “Izzy! Get out here, quickly! C’mon!” 

“What’s happening? Is something wrong?” Violet asked, her heart pounding for an entirely different reason now. 

But Beatrice shook her head. “No,” she assured her, “everything’s fine. More than fine! Just, let’s grab Klaus and the other Quagmires and let’s go! Hurry!” 

Violet hurriedly dropped her gaze as Isadora tried to catch her eye, scrambling to her feet and practically sprinting out into the hallway. 

“What’s going on?” Quigley asked with a yawn, stumbling out of his room. 

Violet shrugged, turning her head away so he wouldn’t see the blush that she was certain still marred her face. “Beatrice is going on about something,” she explained, knocking on Klaus and Duncan’s door. “Apparently there’s something she needs to show us.” 

Klaus opened the door, looking very tired. He wasn’t wearing his glasses and so had to squint to try to keep her in focus. “What’s with all the yelling?” he whined. 

“Beatrice wants us all to see something,” Violet informed him. 

Klaus blinked, looking for all the world as though he hadn’t been able to process what she’d just said. “Does she know it’s the middle of the night?” he said finally. 

“I can’t imagine it would have escaped her notice,” Violet replied. 

“Well, tell her we’ll all check out whatever it is in the morning,” Klaus yawned, crossing his arms. 

“It can’t wait until then!” Beatrice insisted, overhearing the two. She rushed over to them and latched onto Klaus’ arm, effectively dragging him out of the room. “Please, we have to hurry! C’mon!” 

“We’re coming, we just have to go wake Duncan up,” Violet assured her, carefully disentangling the girl from her brother. Beatrice nodded, stepping back a bit so the two oldest Baudelaires could reenter the bedroom. Violet ushered Klaus in ahead of her, saying softly so Beatrice wouldn’t overhear, “Let’s just get this over with so we can all go back to sleep.” 

“How is she so wired up?” Klaus asked. 

Violet shrugged, leaning down slightly so she could wake the oldest Quagmire triplet. Duncan was not thrilled to be awake, but he was a good sport about it at least, struggling to his feet with a large yawn. He followed the Baudelaires back out into the hallway, where Beatrice stood waiting with the other two Quagmire triplets. Everyone’s shoes were lined up on the ground in front of them. Violet and Klaus exchanged a look before turning equally confused looks upon the youngest Baudelaire sibling. 

“Trust me,” Beatrice said, gesturing to the shoes, “you’ll need them.” 

Violet obliged, and the others followed suit before trudging after Beatrice. The eldest Baudelaire tried her best not to be too loud on the stairs, knowing full well that Mrs. McCreedy and the Professor would likely not be as understanding with the children if they were awakened in the earliest hours of the morning by the thudding of six children thundering up the staircase. 

Actually, speaking of six children….

“Where is Sunny?” Violet asked after doing a quick headcount. 

Beatrice grinned widely, a shiver of excitement passing down her frame. “She’s already there,” the girl said, not pausing in her ascent up the steps. “C’mon!” 

As they turned left at the top and strode purposefully down the hallway, Violet heard Klaus let out a soft groan. Violet caught his eye, giving him a quizzical look. He rolled his eyes and nodded his head at Beatrice. _Wardrobe,_ he mouthed, and indeed Violet suddenly realized that that was exactly where they were headed. 

“Bea,” Violet began. 

“It’s different this time,” Beatrice promised, and Violet knew the girl was well aware her siblings had guessed where she was taking them. “This time Sunny got in as well. She’s waiting in the wardrobe, to make sure the passageway doesn’t seal up again. This time we’re all getting in. You’ll see.” 

Violet looked to Klaus, silently asking him what they should do. 

He sighed. “We’re already here,” he mumbled, leaning in close to her so he could talk quietly. “Let’s just humor her for now.” 

Violet nodded her head in agreement as Beatrice opened up the door and stepped aside, letting the others go in ahead of her. As Violet stepped through the frame she saw that, sure enough, Sunny was sitting on the stoop of the wardrobe, the doors wide open on either side of her. 

“Are you really encouraging this?” Violet demanded. 

Sunny opened her mouth and Violet crossed her arms, expecting another snarky comeback, but was surprised as Sunny suddenly stopped herself and instead merely smiled at her. “Why don’t you come in first, Vi?” she said, offering out her hand. Violet was sure this was a setup, she just wasn’t quite sure how yet. With a roll of her eyes, she stepped forward and accepted her younger sister’s hand, allowing herself to be tugged inside the wardrobe. 

The first thing that registered in her brain was that it was stiflingly hot in the wardrobe, much stuffier than it had been earlier that day. She coughed as Sunny tugged her through all the coats, and she yelped as something thin and sharp sliced across her cheek. “Sunny, slow down!” she called, stumbling over herself, but Sunny only walked faster, letting go of her hand just as the ground suddenly dropped out from underneath her feet in a sudden downward slope. Violet’s momentum carried her forward and she let out a yelp as she fell, throwing out her hands at the last second so she wouldn’t smack her face on the solid, sandy ground. Her knees clanked painfully against the rocky terrain, and the red dirt clung to her nightgown as she struggled to her feet. “What the hell?” she breathed out in awe, glancing all around her. The moon was only half full, and yet it shone brightly enough that she could see around the mountain she now stood upon. Her vision was also aided by a nearby lamppost that provided a small flame. It was the only man-made thing in the area, as the rest was all boulders and trees and clumps of dried grass and shriveled moss. She let out a shocked laugh, turning in a small circle to view her surroundings, still not entirely convinced this wasn’t a dream. 

She glanced back at the wardrobe entrance, where Quigley was just coming through. “Watch your step,” she warned, just as the boy hit the drop spot and came tumbling the rest of the way out. Violet giggled, extending a hand to help him back up. 

Quigley accepted with a grin, a look of wonder on his face. “This is incredible!” he cried, glancing around. He pulled out his purple commonplace notebook and began to furiously scribble down notes. 

“Whoa!” Duncan gasped, stumbling a little on his way out of the wardrobe. He glanced from Violet to Quigley to Sunny to the lamppost, giving it a small frown. “I wonder how that got there?” 

“Does it matter?” Klaus laughed, picking his way carefully into view. “Look around you!” 

“Look at the stars,” Isadora sighed, gazing up at the sky in adoration as she trotted over to her brothers. Violet followed her gaze, noticing for the first time how brightly the night sky shined from the visibility of so many stars. “There must not be any pollution here.” 

“It’s astonishing,” Klaus said, a soft smile on his face. 

“Positively sublime,” Violet agreed. 

“Well, it’s quite a relief to see that we _do_ all share the same creativity,” Beatrice said with a smirk, causing Klaus’ face to flush in embarrassment. 

“I’m guessing a simple ‘I’m sorry’ won’t quite cover it?” Violet presumed, offering her little sister an apologetic smile. 

“No,” Beatrice agreed. “But I might forgive you if you all come with me to meet Jacques.” 

The older children all shared a look at the mention of the late VFD agent who had given his life trying to protect them all. “D-Did you say, ‘Jacques?’” Klaus asked, earning a nod from Beatrice. “How… When did… Where did you run into him? I… I’m not saying I don’t believe you, it’s just that Jacques Snicket is dead--” 

“I don’t mean Jacques Snicket,” Beatrice clarified, but then she frowned. “Actually, he did look just like him, now that I think about it. But only in his face. The rest of him isn’t exactly human.” 

“I’m sorry, what?” Quigley asked. 

“Jacques is a satyr,” Beatrice explained. “And he’s really nice, too. I mean, he did try to kidnap me when I first got here, but that was only because the Fire Warlock gave orders to turn any humans found here in Narnia over to him. Once Jacques got to know me, though, he helped me find my way back home so I could escape. That was the first time I went in, and I saw him earlier tonight and he was okay, only it was still daylight at that point.” 

“So time here moves differently from our world,” Violet mused. “That’s interesting.” 

“And there are satyrs here,” Isadora added. “Assuming it’s the same name for the same creatures that we know, that means there are beings here that only exist in mythology back in our world.” 

“And there must not be many humans, if there are instructions to bring all the ones that are found in to this Fire Warlock,” Quigley guessed. 

“Yeah, speaking of that, am I the only one worried about our wellbeing?” Klaus cut in, sounding panicked. “Beatrice was almost kidnapped just because she’s a human. Maybe we should go back.” 

“No!” Beatrice protested. “Please, we’re already here and I really want you to meet Jacques!” 

“It sounds to me like you got lucky the first couple times you were here,” Klaus said. “I think we ought to count our blessings and go home before anything bad happens.” He turned to face his older sister. “Violet, back me up here.” 

Violet avoided his gaze. The truth was, she’d been feeling really cooped up in the Professor’s house. She was so used to living life on the run, constantly having to keep her eyes open for danger and be prepared to use her wits for the survival of herself and her siblings at a moment’s notice. Her adrenaline had been at a steady high for so long. That had been one of the main reasons she’d suggested they leave the Island and return home. Now that they’d made an incredible discovery of a whole other dimension, her brain had kicked back into high gear, giving her a wonderful sense of euphoria that she was hesitant to let go of. There was a whole world to be explored here, with different species than they could find on their earth. She didn’t want to just walk away from an opportunity like this one. She forced herself to meet her brother’s eyes. “We do happen to know that Jacques is an ally,” she finally said. 

Klaus shook his head in disbelief while Beatrice pumped her fist excitedly in the air. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he growled. 

“We’ll just pop in real quick to say hi and do introductions, and then we’ll come right back here,” Violet promised. “We owe it to Beatrice for not believing in her.” 

“Besides, you don’t have to come if you don’t feel comfortable with it, Klaus,” Sunny said kindly, giving her brother a comforting pat. 

Klaus sighed, looking over at Duncan. 

Duncan gave him an apologetic smile. “When’s the next time we get to meet a satyr?” he said. 

“Fine,” Klaus finally gave in, putting his hands up in surrender. “We go meet the satyr, we come _right back here._ Got it?” 

“Got it!” Beatrice agreed, skipping a circle around her siblings before starting towards the mountains. “Everybody follow me! Don’t get too close to the ravine or else you might fall off the edge. His house is just down this path a ways. He’ll be so excited to meet everybody! I’ve told him all about you guys.” 

Violet flinched slightly as Isadora sidled up next to her to walk beside her. Violet instantly turned her attention to the trees that towered over them. “It’s a little strange that every single one of these trees is dead,” she blurted out. 

“The state of the surrounding vegetation suggests this area is often subjected to above-average temperatures,” Isadora replied. “It resembles a lot of places that surround most active volcanoes, the ones that most frequently come into contact with the smoke and ash and even lava as the volcano acts out.” 

Violet shivered and glanced around. “Do you think we’re near an active volcano?” she asked, wondering if Klaus was right about them returning to the wardrobe. 

But Isadora only smiled and shook her head. “If we were that near an active volcano you wouldn’t have to ask.” 

“Oh,” Violet said. The two fell into an awkward silence as they continued on their way. Violet kept shifting her gaze from the uneven ground beneath her feet to the shimmering night sky above her head. 

At last Isadora cleared her throat, breaking the silence. “Violet?” she asked. 

“Hmm?” Violet responded, playing dumb about what she knew must be on the middle Quagmire triplet’s mind. 

“Sh-should we talk about what happened?” Isadora said, immediately blushing. “Or, y’know, what _almost_ happened? I mean, I know I might’ve been imagining things, or maybe I misread the situation? Oh fuck, that’s exactly what happned, isn’t it? I misread the situation. Fuck, you must think I’m so weird and gross. I’m sorry, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable--” 

“Isadora, no,” Violet interrupted, instinctively grabbing her friend’s hand. Isadora stopped talking, sucking in a breath as she looked at their linked hands. Violet dropped them and she took a shaky breath. “You didn’t misread the situation. I-I think I might have been about to, uh, well you know.” 

_Oh,_ Isadora mouthed, so breathless she couldn’t speak for a moment. “We were interrupted,” she managed. “What would you have done if Beatrice hadn’t interrupted us?” 

Violet blushed, and she opened her mouth to respond when she suddenly bumped right into Duncan, who had stopped walking, accidentally pushing him into Klaus who had to grab Quigley to keep from falling over. Violet looked past everyone to see Beatrice standing stock-still, staring straight ahead with a devastated look in her eyes. Her focus was concentrated on a spot in the mountain up ahead, where a door lay askew as though somebody had kicked it in. Violet realized they must have reached Jacques house, and that they apparently weren’t the only ones who had decided to pay the satyr a visit that night. It didn’t appear as though his first guests had been there on a simple social call. 

“Bea,” Klaus said quietly. 

“No,” Beatrice whispered, her voice wavering. She rushed forward, dashing towards the house. 

“Bea, no!” Violet hissed as loud as she dared, pushing past everyone to grab Beatrice’s arm. “We don’t know who’s in there!” Beatrice wrenched herself free of Violet’s grip and ducked under the broken door. 

“Violet!” Klaus called as his big sister started forward to follow after Beatrice. Violet paused long enough to give her brother a desperate look before she, too, crouched underneath the door and entered into the house. 

It was much darker inside than it was out, and it took a minute for Violet’s eyes to adjust. When she could see, she could tell immediately that the place was empty. She felt something crunch under her foot as she took a step forward; it was a framed photograph of a satyr, but the glass covering on it was broken. She picked it up, feeling an unexpected twinge of sympathy as she felt in her bones that she was looking at a picture of Jacques’ father. She gently placed the photograph down on the sofa, which had been ripped and torn to shreds. 

“Bea?” she called softly. 

“Over here,” the girl answered, sounding lost and forlorn. Violet found her standing in the kitchen, clutching what looked like a piece of parchment paper the size of a page from a regular notebook. 

Violet gently took the parchment from her. “Do you want me to read it?” 

Beatrice nodded, wiping the trail of tears from her face. “I can’t quite make it out.” 

The others made their way inside as Violet peered at the message and started to read:

_“Warrant of Arrest,_

_By order of His Royal Majesty._

_The former occupant of these premises, the Satyr Jacques, is under arrest and awaiting his trial on a charge of High Treason against His Imperial Majesty Olaf, King of Narnia, Esteemed Count of Cair Paravel, Emperor of the Lone Islands, Mighty Warlock of the Western Woods, the Grand Entertainer of the Lands, etc., and is also suspected guilty of comforting his said Majesty’s enemies, harbouring spies, and fraternizing with Humans.”_

“Signed _Maugrim, Captain of the Secret Police._

_LONG LIVE THE KING!”_


	6. Deep in the Meadow

Duncan felt frozen in place as Violet read them the note, her voice quivering as she read the name Olaf. He couldn’t help but connect the dots, from the satyr named Jacques to the freaking Fire Warlock-- who happened to be the King of Narnia, which was just  _ so  _ great that Beatrice neglected to mention that special tidbit to them-- that shared the name of their former captor. This place they were in, there was something going on. Duncan had no idea if it was malicious or entirely coincidental, but he didn’t care for it at any rate.

“That’s it,” Klaus insisted, shaking from head to toe. He instinctively backed toward the exit. “I can’t keep pretending that I’m okay with all of this. If Olaf is involved--” 

“We don’t know that it’s the same guy,” Quigley reasoned. 

“The letter called him a fucking Count!” Klaus shrieked. “It says in his titles, ‘Esteemed Count of Cair Paravel!’” 

“Whatever that is,” Quigley shrugged, and Duncan could tell from that simple act of nonchalance that his brother was doing his best to keep from breaking down. 

“It doesn’t matter what it is!” Klaus said, tossing his arms up in exasperation. “What matters is that we get the fuck out of here!” 

“What?” Beatrice yelped, looking stunned. “We can’t leave now!” 

“Bea, you don’t know Count Olaf like we do,” Klaus told her. “He’s dangerous, and he’s ruthless, and he will  _ kill us  _ without a second thought. I’m sorry we never got to meet your friend, but seeing he’s been arrested I’m not sure he was the best person to be hanging around with in the first place.” 

“He wasn’t a person, he was a satyr,” Beatrice corrected. “And the only reason he got arrested was because of  _ me.  _ The note says he was taken because he helped hide a human. Don’t you see?  _ I’m  _ the human! The Fire Warlock must have found out he helped me!” 

“I’m with Klaus,” Duncan said, unable to keep quiet during this debate of everyone’s safety. “I really am sorry about your friend, especially if you turn out to be right about the subject of his arrest. But, the truth is that he made his own choice to help you--” 

“And now I’m making the choice to help him,” Beatrice said firmly. She turned to face Klaus. “I remember you telling me the story of Jacques Snicket. You and Violet wanted to break him out of jail, and the two of you were arrested for it and almost burned at the stake. You always told me that you didn’t regret trying to help him, that your only regret was that you didn’t save him!”

Duncan sighed, understanding where she was coming from. He couldn’t help but remember when he and Isadora had been kidnapped by Count Olaf, how terrified they had been. He didn’t know what would have happened if the Baudelaires hadn’t stayed on his trail and found them. He didn’t want to imagine it, because he already knew the outcome would have been bad. He understood. But that was also what made this whole situation even worse.  _ Count Olaf  _ was behind all this. Just when they’d thought they were rid of him for good, he was back to threaten their lives once more. 

“Bea,” Quigley tried. Beatrice put a hand on her hip, giving the youngest Quagmire triplet a look that dared him to finish his thought. Quigley looked over at Duncan, silently asking him for backup. 

“I’m going to get Jacques back,” Beatrice said stubbornly. “I don’t care if I have to do it by myself.” 

“Of course you won’t have to do it by yourself,” Violet assured her. 

“What?” Duncan asked at the same time that Klaus yelped, “Violet!” and Quigley laughed nervously, probably hoping she was joking. 

Violet looked at them each in turn before shifting her focus to Beatrice. “We’ll think of something,” she told the girl. “But we can’t just rush in there without a plan thinking everything will work out okay.” 

“PSST!” 

Everyone jumped, and Duncan’s jaw dropped. He’d happened to have been staring at a bird through the window right when the noise sounded, and-- he decided he must be losing his damn mind, but it had looked very much like the  _ bird  _ had made the noise beckoning them over. 

“Um, did that bird over there just ‘psst’ us?” Isadora asked, glancing around the room for confirmation, a look of extreme befuddlement on her face. 

“I-I think it did,” Duncan said. 

“PSSST!” the noise came again, just as the bird turned its head to look at them all. 

Duncan and Isadora exchanged looks as Violet started for the door. “Hey!” Quigley whispered, reaching out to stop her. “Is that really the best idea?” 

Violet shrugged. “You’re not the least bit curious why a fucking bird is trying to get our attention?” 

“What happened to ‘we can’t just rush in there without a plan?’” Quigley questioned. 

Violet gave him a look. “It’s a  _ bird.  _ I’m fairly confident I can handle it if things go south.” 

“I’ll go with her,” Duncan said, stepping forward to stand beside the young inventor. “The rest of you stay here. Just in case.” 

Both Klaus and Quigley looked very much like they wanted to argue, but Duncan gave them a pleading look, begging the two boys to just let it go. Klaus sighed, dropping his gaze to the floor, and Quigley put his hands up in a sign of surrender. Duncan turned his focus back to Violet, who gave him a nod to let him know she was ready. Duncan sucked in a breath and then picked his way carefully back outside. Violet followed, making her way purposefully towards the tree that stood just outside the satyr’s house. As soon as the two reached its base, the bird let out an alarmed warble and took flight, quickly disappearing from view. 

Duncan and Violet exchanged looks, and he opened his mouth to suggest they head back in when he was interrupted by another loud-- though now impatient-sounding-- “PSSSST!” 

This time Duncan realized it was coming from behind a large rock, just off the path the children had taken to reach the satyr’s house. A scuffling noise sounded from behind it, like muffled footsteps shuffling closer. Duncan shivered, unsure what to expect. He slipped his hand into Violet’s as a shadow made its way into view. She gave his hand a squeeze, letting him know that she had his back no matter what. The shadowy figure stepped closer, and Duncan felt his heart pounding in his chest as it approached them. It was hard to tell its size, as the shadows around it melded together to make it appear larger than life, and Duncan worried he and Violet wouldn’t be able to stop it if it attacked. Finally a patch of moonlight illuminated the beast enough that the two teens could identify what it was. 

“It’s a coyote,” Duncan breathed, tugging Violet’s hand to pull her closer. “Don’t worry. Coyotes are very skittish animals. They’re much more afraid of you than you are of them.” 

The canine tilted its head at the two, and then-- to Duncan’s enormous surprise-- let out a distinctly human-sounding laugh. “Given the way you’re trembling right now,” the creature spoke, “I’m gonna say that statement is bullshit. Also:  _ not  _ a coyote. The name’s Jacquelyn, and I happen to be a  _ jackal.  _ Which, coincidentally, is also my nickname.” 

Duncan felt like he might faint from shock, but he managed a quick, “Oh, sorry,” to the talking jackal. He looked at Violet, whose expression was very hard to read. 

“That’s alright,” Jackal forgave him. Then she frowned, Duncan thought. It was hard to read facial expressions on animals. “Weren’t there more of you?” 

Violet crossed her arms. “Why would that matter to you?” she questioned. “Don’t you know the satyr that lives here was arrested for fraternizing with humans?” 

Jackal’s ears flicked back for a moment as she cast a furtive glance at the surrounding area. “I think it’d be best if we talked somewhere more private. The Fire Warlock has all kinds of spies. Even some of the trees are on his side, which makes secret gatherings very, very difficult up here.” 

“Why should we trust you?” Duncan asked, his heart pounding in his chest. 

Jackal turned to look at him, and Duncan thought she seemed exhausted and very worried at that moment. “I don’t know how to convince you to trust me,” she confessed. “All I can tell you is that if you stay here you will die, and that would be a tragedy you couldn’t possibly fathom.” 

Duncan looked to Violet, and he tried his best to silently communicate what he was thinking: that they should heed the warning of this strange talking animal and get the hell out of there, but not by running the risk of following it deeper into this place. He wanted to grab the others and go back to their world, where they were safe and Count Olaf was dead. 

Violet nodded her head in understanding, and Duncan breathed a sigh of relief. Then she turned to the jackal and said, “We just need to grab our siblings, and we’ll all follow you to safety.” 

“What the hell are you thinking?” Duncan hissed as she turned to walk back inside the satyr’s home. 

“Beatrice is right,” Violet said. “We’ve already failed Jacques once. Now that we have another chance to rescue him, we can’t lose him again.” 

“I don’t know if you’ve realized, but the Jacques that Beatrice befriended is a satyr, and the volunteer we knew was a regular man,” Duncan argued. 

“I don’t know if  _ you  _ realized,” Violet shot back, “but the jackal we were just talking to was a fucking forest animal, and yet she could tell us her name is Jacquelyn, which is coincidence enough. But did you notice who she sounded like?” Duncan shook his head, not wanting to admit that he’d immediately thought the “fucking forest animal” had sounded just like the woman who had driven him and his siblings to the Professor’s estate. Violet gave him a look, letting him know that she already knew he’d made the connection. “This place is similar to our world. At least, it has some of the same people in it, and if Jacques is one of them then we owe it to him to try to save him.”

As they walked back inside, the others all turned to stare at them, eager for some news. Duncan looked instantly to Klaus, who seemed to be just as anxious as Duncan was. Quigley, however, looked just the faintest bit excited, and Isadora simply appeared to be curious. Beatrice was a mix of emotions as Violet said, “We met someone outside, and I think she can answer some of our questions. She’s offered to take us to safety.” 

“Safety, like back through the wardrobe?” Klaus questioned, crossing his arms. 

“Safety, like keeping us all together,” Violet replied. 

“We can do that ourselves,” Klaus snapped. 

“Can we?” Sunny suddenly spoke up. “If I know Bea, we’ll all tell her to forget about Jacques and then she’ll just wait until we fall asleep to find her way back through here alone. At least right now we have the benefit of someone who’s willing to help us. Maybe some inside information can be beneficial.” 

“Beneficial like getting us all killed?” Duncan scoffed. He shook his head. “I don’t want to lose any of my family, and I’m sorry but this satyr isn’t family.” 

“Everything alright?” Jackal suddenly asked, poking her head inside the house. Everyone who had remained inside during Jackal’s initial appearance fell silent, staring open-mouthed at the critter who had just interrupted their conversation. 

“We’re fine,” Violet assured her, giving her brother a pointed look. “We were just talking.” 

Jackal frowned. “That’s better left for safer quarters.” 

“She means the trees,” Beatrice explained, and Duncan started. Jackal had mentioned to him and Violet something about some of the trees being spies for Count Olaf. Had Jacques told Beatrice the same thing? Had the satyr known he was potentially surrounded by his enemies? Why would he live in such close proximity to them then? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to live somewhere that wasn’t a forest and didn’t have trees? 

Jackal turned to go, and Duncan felt his heart sink as half the group made to follow after her. He and Klaus caught each other’s eye, and he knew then that the boy felt the same way he did: helpless. The two watched for a moment as Violet led Beatrice out by the hand, followed closely by Sunny and Quigley. Isadora cast a glance at the two boys before walking out. Duncan felt sure they were all headed into danger, but he also felt that the best way to keep them from getting hurt was to stay with them and keep them out of trouble to the best of his ability. Klaus seemed to agree because he walked in step with him as Duncan turned to leave the ransacked ruins of the satyr’s home. As they hurried to catch up to the others, Klaus asked, “Is it just me, or does that jackal sound a hell of a lot like Jacquleyn Scieszka?” 

Duncan groaned. “Do  _ not  _ get me started on that.” 

They were quiet after that, Duncan keeping his eyes on the ground so as not to stumble into anything as they made their way through the mountains in the dark. It was a lot easier said than done, as the shadows played tricks on his eyes, making the uneven ground appear to be littered with holes. Duncan picked his way carefully along, carefully avoiding the actual dips in the trail as he went. It was very slow going, but eventually they descended down into a valley, where they reached a clearing with lots of very large rocks and tall, dead grass, but no trees that might spy on them. They crept soundlessly through the meadow, and Duncan couldn’t stop himself from thinking of a very specific movie scene that had terrified him as a child. It was an animated movie about a deer, and in this particular scene the young buck’s mother was shot in a meadow, leaving him an orphan. All the children in the clearing were orphans already, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be shot down like deer if they were spotted by their enemies. Jackal swept her tail out as she stopped, and it took Duncan a second to see that a tight cluster of grass had been pressed up against a clump of rocks, covering what appeared to be the opening to a large den. The main giveaway was the wriggling snout poking out of the stalks of grass, the nose twitching slightly as they approached. 

“Dearest,” Jackal greeted the snout, which wormed its way out to reveal a sand-colored fox with big ears. Duncan thought he remembered this particular species of fox to be native to deserts, so he was surprised to see it here in the mountains. Then again, he was in an entirely separate dimension. Animal habitats might not be the same here as they were back on his earth. 

“Where have you been?” the fox demanded, and Duncan heard Violet gasp as the former Prufrock Prep students realized all at once who she sounded like. “I was beginning to think you’d been mauled by the bears!”

“You know I’m much too sly for them,” Jackal said, gently touching noses with the fox. She turned to face the children. “Humans, this is my den-mate.” 

“I’m Olivia Tailiban,” the fox greeted, bowing to them. “You can call me Olivia.” 

“I found them wandering around Jacques’ place,” Jackal explained to her den-mate. 

Olivia gasped. “Is it true then? Did the Warlock really…?” 

Jackal nodded as the fox trailed off, a contrite look in her canine eyes. “I’m sorry, love.” 

Olivia whined softly. “He’s the one who recruited me for VFD. Without him, I never would’ve met you.” 

Duncan nearly choked. “Did you just say ‘VFD?’” he asked. 

Olivia glanced over at Jackal, who merely nodded her head at him. “VFD,” the jackal said, “is the secret organization working to overthrow the false king. The Fire Warlock bullied his way onto the throne, and he only holds it now through fear mongering and executions. VFD is working tirelessly to make sure the prophecy comes to pass, and soon.” 

“Prophecy?” Klaus asked, sounding skeptical. 

“What does a volunteer fire department have to do with kingdoms and prophecies?” Duncan questioned. 

The two canines exchanged glances, looking very lost. “We’ll talk more inside,” Jackal decided, ducking into the den. Olivia offered a warm smile as she stepped aside, gesturing for the children to follow her mate. They complied, having to army crawl past the grass and overhanging rocks, but when Duncan stood up he was pleasantly surprised at how large the room was. The ceiling was high enough that he could stand without having to lean down, and it was dug out enough that all seven children would fit comfortably in there along with the two Narnian canines that lived in the den. There was even a rug on the ground and a round kitchen table with a chandelier hanging over it. It was actually very lovely, and quite cozy, even by human standards. Duncan sat on the rug next to his siblings and Violet, allowing Klaus and the two youngest Baudelaire sisters to sit with Olivia and Jackal at the table. 

“Now that we’re less likely to be heard, we’ll answer any questions you might have, if you’d like,” Jackal promised. “Perhaps in return you can help clear up some things for us as well.”

“What does VFD stand for?” Quigley asked, apparently having guessed the same thing that Duncan had, that the VFD here was not the same as the one in their world. 

“VFD is the Volunteer Fighters Division,” Jackal replied. “As I said before, it’s a secret organization that works against the Fire Warlock. We want to bring peace back to Narnia.” 

“You mentioned a prophecy,” Duncan reminded her. 

Jackal looked to Olivia, and Olivia sighed before saying, “A long time ago, I was working with some critters to help educate the kingdom. Even before the prophecy, the Warlock’s reign was bad, but since then… Well, let’s just say things are worse. At the time, I knew a satyr named Kit. She’d heard that the false king could be swayed by advice he received from oracles, so she disguised herself as a prophetess, hoping to gain access to the kingdom long enough to learn any sort of secret that might bring the false king down. What she learned instead was that there was a true witch, one with actual powers of clairvoyance, locked in the dungeons of his kingdom. She told this satyr that there was a way to bring the Warlock down, and that it would involve three Humans. A lot of us in Narnia thought that was rubbish. We weren’t even sure Humans were real. It’s not like any of us had ever seen one. Now that you’re here though, it seems the prophecy has been set in motion before our very eyes.” 

“What does the prophecy say, exactly?” Isadora asked. 

“‘When a hero times three can find these lands/A century of fire will be put out,’” Olivia recited. 

“‘Beware, for only by one of the trio’s hands/Will come the end of the evil Count,’” Jackal finished. “The only other thing we learned from the Seer was that these heroes that kill the false king would be triplets.  _ Human  _ triplets.” 

It took Duncan a moment to realize that everyone in the room, human and animal alike, was staring at him and his siblings. “Wait, you think  _ we’re  _ the ones who are going to kill the Count?” he gasped. 

“It’s obvious,” Jackal told him. “You’re Humans, and you’re triplets, and despite being new to Narnia you already have issues with the false king. You children are the only Humans to have ever been to Narnia, and the false king has held the throne for several moons more than a century. It has to be you the prophecy is referring to.” 

“Well it’s not,” Duncan objected, jumping to his feet. “This isn’t our fight; this isn’t even our world! My sister and I were kidnapped by that brute back on our earth, and I don’t intend for that to happen again!” 

“It won’t,” Jackal promised. “Your army would never let it.” 

“Our army?” Quigley yelped, and Duncan noted with incredible displeasure the amount of excitement in his brother’s voice. “We have an army?” 

Olivia nodded enthusiastically. “We’ve already heard that King Snicket is on the move. He’s been told to have set to work gathering all the Volunteers somewhere south of Owl Wood, just past the Fords of Beruna.” 

“King Snicket?” Violet asked. 

“Vi,” Beatrice whispered, tugging on her sleeve. 

Violet ignored her little sister. “Who is King Snicket?” 

The canines both grinned. “He’s the true king of Narnia,” Jackal replied, and Duncan could tell she was simplifying things for them. “He’ll make sure we win the war.” 

“Uh, no,” Duncan said, shaking his head as he got to his feet. “We already got caught up in one VFD schism, we’re not getting caught up in another one.” 

“Duncan,” Isadora said, and it was the tone of her voice that let Duncan know right off the bat that she intended to argue with him. 

“Violet!” Duncan heard Beatrice whisper sharply as the oldest Quagmire triplet turned to give his sister an incredulous look.

“Are you kidding me?” Duncan yelped, ignoring the Baudelaire’s conversation as he ran his hands through his hair. “No, Izzy, don’t ‘Duncan’ me, okay? We are not about to get sucked into an actual fucking war! I’m sorry!” He turned to face the two canines, who were looking on in desperation at the scene unfolding before them. “I really am sorry, but I can’t let my siblings and I get caught up in this.” 

“Wait,” Olivia pleaded as she gave him the standard puppy-dog eyes. “You can’t just leave!” 

“Narnia has been waiting one hundred years for you three to show up,” Jackal informed them, giving them all a hard stare. “You’re our saviors. We need you desperately. Are you really just going to abandon us?”

“I-I’m sorry,” Duncan apologized again. “We need to just go home. Klaus?” 

“Way ahead of you,” Klaus agreed, pushing back from the table. “Sunny, grab Bea’s hand and don’t let her--” He stopped, a frown creasing his features as he spun around in a quick circle, looking at every corner of the den. “Where’s Sunny?” 

“That’s what I was trying to tell you!” Beatrice exclaimed, sounding extremely exasperated as she put her hands on her hips. “She left!” 

“She what?” Quigley asked, and Duncan was glad his brother had asked for clarification on that, because he was sure he must have misheard the youngest Baudelaire girl. 

“She left,” Beatrice said again. “She slipped out of the den back when we were discussing where the camp was.” 

“Oh my fucking-- I’m going to kill her,” Violet muttered, digging into her pocket and tugging out a ribbon. The two Narnians exchanged a look as she put her hair up. 

Jackal turned a grave expression to the eldest Baudelaire. “You may not get the chance,” she informed her in a strained voice. “Has Sunny ever been to Narnia before?”


	7. Behind Enemy Lines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads-up if you're squeamish about broken bones, there is a brief mention of that at the end of this chapter (second to last paragraph, if you need to skip it). It's only two or three sentences and it's really not a super in-depth graphic description, but I went ahead and changed the tag warnings anyway just in case because I don't want it to come out of nowhere if some people are triggered by that. That being said, I hope everyone enjoys!

Sunny trudged along in darkness, barely able to make out the two distant mountains in the moonlight. She needed answers to some of the questions she now had burning in her mind, and she had a feeling that the two Narnian canines wouldn’t be able to help her with them. The queen she’d met earlier had not seemed to match the description of the evil royalty the jackal had been complaining about. She had been nice, offering Sunny more than anyone else in her life had been able to. Still, if the woman could marry a man as vile as Count Olaf then there had to be a darkness somewhere inside her as well, and should that be the case then Sunny could not willingly guide her siblings into her clutches. She hunched her shoulders, stopping for a moment as she listened for the sound of footsteps. All she heard was the wind, so she continued her trek. She knew it wouldn’t be long before everyone came rushing after her. Beatrice had seen her leave, and Sunny knew the girl would rat her out as soon as she got the chance. The good news was that no one else knew where to go, so they would all be going out blindly, grasping at straws as they tried to figure out which direction Sunny had gone. Unless Jackal or the fox could smell her tracks. It was likely, actually. 

“Shit,” Sunny cursed, picking up her pace. She hadn’t given a thought to the dogs until now. How stupid it would be if they managed to catch up to her before she could speak to the queen. No, she couldn’t let that happen. The mountains weren’t far from where the den was located. If Sunny hurried, she could probably reach the palace within the hour. 

As she walked, she found herself remembering things from when she was a baby. She remembered being stuffed in a cage, alone and scared and suspended from the tower of Olaf’s house. She shivered just thinking about that. She thought of the darkness of the elevator shaft at 667 Dark Avenue, of Esme Squalor’s gloating when she had pushed the children down onto the net. Her face was fuzzy in Sunny’s mind-- she’d only been a baby, after all-- but the woman’s monstrous cackling rang clear as a bell even all these years later. Sunny remembered the car ride through the Mortmain Mountains, being pinched repeatedly by Esme as she couldn’t help but cry after watching the caravan her siblings were in go tumbling down the mountain. She hadn’t known at the time that Klaus and Violet had escaped and were alive; she’d thought for sure that she was alone, and that there would be no one coming to rescue her from Count Olaf’s clutches. Sunny shut her eyes, trying to force away all the terrible memories. Her siblings had tried to keep her safe, but they had failed her so many times. She knew they were probably scared for her right now. They had no way of knowing what she’d been offered by the queen. After all, she hadn’t told anyone about meeting her, not even Beatrice. They were probably worried and confused, and by now they were likely on her trail, trying to “save” her. But as Sunny finally reached the two mountains, seeing the plateau the queen had told her housed the castle, she knew she couldn’t let them catch up to her. She was doing this for them almost as much as she was doing it for herself. With Sunny as queen, there would be no one who would dare touch the Baudelaires ever again. Even Violet, serving as Sunny’s faithful handmaid, would be kept safe by royal decree. They’d all be much happier in the long run. They just had to give Sunny the chance to take care of them. 

She sucked in a breath, having just reached the gates of the castle. It was a tall, gleaming building that seemed to have been built entirely out of gold. There were two enormous spires that stuck out of the top, and several smaller towers that ended in sharp spear-points decorated the entirety of the building. The gate Sunny had reached was warm to the touch, and giving a faint glow as she opened it and she stepped into what she could only assume was a garden. Stone statues littered the open courtyard, clumped closer and closer together the closer she got to the castle walls. She passed by creatures of all sorts, including pegasi and giants and every forest critter Sunny had ever read about. The detailing on them was amazing, and every single statue was the actual size of its subject. She paused for a moment, admiring one of a winged wolf positioned between a frozen centaur and a towering wendigo. She smiled slightly before continuing on her way. She wondered if the kingdom had an official sculptor on retainer, and whether or not the queen could have them make one of a shark for her. 

Sunny stopped. She had reached the interior of the castle, but in order to continue any further she would need to pass through the antechamber ahead of her. The problem was that the way was blocked by a statue of what appeared to be a large, sleeping brown bear, though it was difficult to tell as the creature was covered in ash. Its furry shoulder blades were level with Sunny’s chin, so it wouldn’t exactly be impossible to climb over it although it would definitely take a great deal of effort. It was more that Sunny couldn’t tell if it might be considered disrespectful to mess around with the statues in the kingdom’s garden. She shrugged, ultimately deciding that what the queen didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. After all, wasn’t Sunny about to be made Narnian royalty? Surely she’d be forgiven for scaling a stone bear in order to make it to the throne. She took a running leap, the tip of her foot accidentally kicking into the bear’s ribcage. Sunny screamed as the beast snarled, whirling around so that it now stood over her, its vicious snout mere centimeters from her throat. Apparently not all the beasts in the garden were stone, and Sunny shuddered as she looked the bear in its cold, black eyes, wondering if it would devour her right here and now. 

“Be still, intruder, or you’ll never move again,” the bear commanded, and Sunny shook even harder than before. 

“I-I-I’m here to see the qu-queen,” Sunny managed. “I m-met her in the mountains earlier t-today, and she told me to c-come back here. I’m a h-human.” 

The bear grumbled, but it took a step back to allow her to get to her feet. “My apologies, fortunate favorite of the queen,” the bear sneered. It stood up on its hindlegs, appraising Sunny as though she was more likely to be poison. “Or else, not so fortunate.” 

He jerked his head at her in a gesture that she should follow him. He led her through the palace, guiding her through several twisting halls and up a couple winding staircases, each one decorated entirely in gold. Dark swirls were engraved on the walls and the banisters and the steps, and the odd warmth in the air only added to the effect. It made Sunny shiver, and her mind inexplicably drew up images of hospitals and carnivals and hotels as she walked on and on through the castle, led by the bear. At last they reached a large circular room like an indoor amphitheater. It was empty and echoey, save for two large thrones that sat upon a dais at the front, facing the rest of the room. The one on the left was slightly taller, carved from the same gold metal as the rest of the palace, and adorned with fluffy bloodred cushions. The gold frame was decorated with wave patterns. _Like fire,_ Sunny realized, and she shuddered, thinking about the fire that had taken her parents from her. 

“Wait here,” the bear instructed, lumbering out of the room. “The queen will be with you shortly.” 

Sunny nodded her thanks at the bear, turning her attention to the throne on the right. It was the reverse of the chair beside it, with a frame of glittering rubies surrounding plush golden cushioning. There were no flames engraved anywhere on it, though two red wings sprouted from the back of the chair, bringing to mind an image of the legendary firebird, or phoenix as it was more commonly known in mythology. Sunny smiled softly to herself, remembering all the times Klaus had read her stories of fantastical creatures. Out of everything, the phoenix had always been her favorite. She found herself drawn to the throne on the right, as though it was calling to her, telling her of her destiny. She placed a gentle hand over one of the wings, tracing the outlining of its feathers and feeling the exquisite detailing. With a contented sigh, she lowered herself into the seat, relaxing into the cushions and looking out over the amphitheater. She wondered if this was where she would sit, or if they would carve out another throne for her when she became the queen. 

“Comfy?” a voice asked from behind her. 

Sunny jumped off the throne, blushing as she spun around to face the queen. The bald ogre from the sleigh was standing beside her as well, and Sunny thought he seemed quite amused by her. “I’m sorry Your Majesty, I just--” 

The queen held up a hand, silencing her. She offered Sunny a smile, but it did not quite reach the woman’s eyes. “Tell me, Sunny dear. Are the boys you live with deaf?” 

“No, Your Highness, they’re not,” Sunny smiled, assuming the queen was setting up a joke. 

“And the girls,” the queen continued. “Are any of them, shall we say, unintelligent?” 

“I mean, Violet’s not the most understanding, but even I have to admit she’s quite the mechanical genius,” Sunny informed, a slight frown in place as she complemented her older sister. “One time when I was little, she built--” 

“You ignorant brat!” the queen bellowed suddenly, causing Sunny to shrink away from her. “I told you to bring me those triplets! I was very clear! I told you to bring the other humans with you to my castle! Tell me, are you forgetful or are you just so thick that you are unable to perform even the simplest of tasks?” 

“I-I’m sorry!” Sunny stammered, backing away a step. 

“I asked so little of you,” the queen said, disappointment and frustration ringing her every word. 

“They wouldn’t listen to me!” Sunny told her desperately.

“You couldn’t even do that!” 

“B-But I did bring them halfway,” Sunny cried, gaining the queen’s attention. “M-More than halfway, even. I left them in a clearing, inside a den belonging to a jackal and a fox. They’re probably even closer by now, if they tried to follow after me on my way over here.” 

The queen stopped, giving the bald ogre a thoughtful look. “Maugrim!” she called, turning to one of the doors leading out of the amphitheater. The bear reappeared in the doorway, giving the queen a low bow. 

“Your Majesty?” he asked, keeping his head down so as not to accidentally look her in the eyes. 

“Fetch your troops, and go pay those pesky sapphic dogs a visit,” she commanded. “They’ll have visitors with them. I don’t care if you have to collapse their den to do it, just don’t let any of them escape. Round up any of the ones you can and bring them in alive, kill the ones you can’t.” 

“As you wish, Your Royal Highness,” the bear, Maugrim, agreed. He threw back his head, letting a long, loud roar ring throughout the castle. In moments, several other bears filled the doorways of the room until there were half a dozen large, brutish bears in all. Maugrim snarled, and dashed out through a hallway, and soon the castle was filled with the thundering of the bears racing out to go hunt down Sunny’s family and the Narnians who had dared to help them. 

The queen turned to the bald ogre. “Take her downstairs, and be sure to give her some refreshments. I’m sure our little queen must be parched after such a long journey to get here.” 

The bald ogre chuckled. “Of course, Your Majesty.” He approached Sunny and grabbed her roughly by the arm. “Come with me, m’lady.” 

Not that Sunny had a choice in the matter. The bald ogre was half leading, half dragging her through the palace, and while the words of the queen had made it sound like Sunny would be receiving royal treatment, her tone had suggested that it would be in Sunny’s best interest to try to escape. Not to mention that now she needed to make it out ahead of the sleuth and warn her siblings before they were either mauled to death or captured. She tried to think of something she’d read that might help her come up with a plan, and she tried to think of something she could invent to get her out of there, but it was all useless. Her mind just didn’t work the way her siblings’ did. She gave the bald ogre’s hand an experimental bite to see if her teeth could get her out of this mess, but she only elicited a slight chuckle as though she’d been tickling him instead. Sunny wanted desperately to escape, but she was beginning to wonder if that would even be possible. The bald ogre marching her through the castle had a firm, viselike grip on her arm that she couldn’t struggle out of, couldn’t bite her way out of, couldn’t research her way out of, and couldn’t invent her way out of. 

“You should consider yourself lucky,” the bald ogre grunted, hauling her down yet another set of shiny, golden stairs. “Those other brats will likely be put to death as soon as the King catches sight of them. You, on the other hand, might actually live if you can find a way to make yourself useful to the Queen.” 

“Is that what you did?” Sunny snapped, giving the monster a glare. 

The bald ogre only chuckled, opening up one more door and shoving her into a dark, stuffy room. It was hard to see anything, but Sunny thought she could see cages lining the walls. Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind bloomed with images of the birdcage she had been forced into as a baby. She thought of the intense swaying with every breeze, the firm metal bars keeping her trapped in such an enclosed, cramped space, and she thought of the fear and dread she’d felt every time Count Olaf or one of his henchpeople had poked their incorrigible faces out of the tower window at her. Her breathing turned ragged with fear as the bald ogre grabbed a torch from off the wall and pushed her closer to what she saw was indeed a cage. It was then that she realized she had been escorted down into the dungeons of the castle. “Here we are.” 

“No, no, no, please, no!” Sunny pleaded, tears flowing thick and fast down her face as the bald ogre pushed her behind the bars, swinging the door shut and locking it behind her. “Please, don’t leave me here! Please!” 

“I’ll be back with your refreshments,” the bald ogre grunted, and another second later Sunny heard the creaking of the dungeon door open and then slam as it shut. 

Sunny slumped to the floor of her cell, hugging her knees to her chest as her sobs wracked her body. She felt her throat close up with fear, and she had to put quite a lot of effort and concentration into just breathing, telling herself all the while that she was okay, that it was just a cage, that it was bigger than the last one she’d been in, and that she would be alright. It was dark in the dungeon, and stifling hot. She didn’t know how long she’d been down there, sweat drenching her body, before she calmed herself down. She began to realize that the bald ogre was not hurrying with his errand of bringing her those refreshments, which was a pity because she parched and could desperately do with a glass of water. It didn’t matter that much compared to everything else going on, although Sunny still hoped he would bring her some water before she died of thirst. It suddenly occurred to her that it was possibly their plan to leave her in her cell, alone, to die slowly of starvation or dehydration. Whichever one took her first. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.” 

“I promise, miss, it’s not so bad in here,” a voice spoke suddenly through the darkness, coming from somewhere to her left. Sunny lifted her head, squinting at the cell next to hers. She’d originally thought it was empty, but she found that if she stared at it hard enough she could just make out the shape of someone sprawled out on the floor. 

“H-Have you been in here long?” Sunny asked. 

She thought she could see him shake his head as he answered, “Nah, only about a day, day and a half at most. But so far they’ve only come down here to bring you in, so I’d imagine we’ll be left alone for the most part.” 

“Until they bring in the food,” Sunny pointed out, but the other prisoner didn’t respond. “They _did_ feed you, didn’t they?” 

“No,” the prisoner replied. Then he chuckled ruefully and added, “They must be quite fond of you if they’re planning on catering to you so instanter.” 

“I guess,” Sunny agreed with a shrug, although she didn’t know what the word ‘instanter’ meant. Klaus would know, she realized with a sigh. He knew all sorts of words. 

“Excuse me,” the prisoner said suddenly, and Sunny could hear as he shifted himself closer to her cell. “I can barely see in here, so I apologize if this makes me seem a bit like a fanatic, but you bear quite the resemblance to a Human.” 

“Oh,” Sunny said, giving the creature a small smile even though she knew he couldn’t see it. “I am a human, actually. That might explain it a little.” 

“You are?” the voice gasped, and again Sunny could hear him shuffle closer. “Do you happen to know a Human child named Beatrice?” 

“Beatrice?” Sunny repeated, feeling as though her heart had skipped a beat. “That’s my little sister. How the fuck do you know her name?” 

“I know more than her name,” the prisoner said. “Is she alright?” 

“I--” Sunny began, stopping as she heard a rumbling throughout the castle. If she had to guess, she would have said it was the sound of the bears, possibly back from their hunt. She shuddered to think what might have become of her family. She could feel the eyes of the satyr on her even through the dark, for surely the occupant in the cell next to her could only be Jacques, the satyr who had met her little sister and had been arrested for helping get her to safety. 

“Is she safe?” Jacques asked, and Sunny flinched as she heard a distant clang come from somewhere within the palace. 

“I don’t know,” Sunny confessed, gulping back a sob as she started to cry again. 

She heard Jacques sigh, and he sounded so defeated in that moment. She wished she had better news for him. She wished desperately to go back in time and stop herself from coming to this fucking castle. At the very least she wished she could stop herself from telling the queen where her family was. She should have known nothing good would come of that. She felt so foolish now, huddled in this cell as she tried in vain to update Jacques on her family’s affairs. 

The door to the dungeon swung open, and based on the deep thumping of the footsteps Sunny thought it must be the bald ogre. Her cell opened just enough for the dim light of a torch on the opposite wall to illuminate the great, hook-nosed beast as he tossed in a tray at her feet. It had a brown, craggly lump on it, next to a chalice filled with water so hot it was steaming even in this sweltering cellar. The bald ogre grinned at her, showing off a mouthful of yellow teeth. “Oh, dear,” he chuckled, tsking at her like she was a misbehaving pet. “They’re not happy with you.” 

“What do you mean?” Sunny asked, but at that moment another figure stormed into the dungeons and the bald ogre quickly ducked out of the way as the door to Sunny’s cell was tossed wide open. The flame from the torch revealed the newcomer standing at her door to be Count Olaf, and Sunny shrieked to see her old rival glowering down at her once more. His shiny eyes glowed fiercely in the light of the dancing flames as he stomped up to her. 

Before Sunny could react, Count Olaf had gripped her by her shirt collar, pulling her up to her feet so that he could get face-to-face with her without having to lean down. He was seething, and the spiky crown on his head served to make him appear even more villainous instead of regal like a normal king. His long, dirty nails dug into her collarbone, making her whimper in pain but he refused to let go. “You lied to my beloved queen,” he hissed, hatred blazing in his eyes. 

“N-No, I didn’t, I promise,” Sunny said, her voice shaking as badly as she was. 

“Oh really?” Olaf demanded. 

Sunny nodded. “Yes, I promise, I told the truth, I never lied to Her Majesty.”

“Oh, because my police TORE THAT DEN APART!” Olaf roared, tossing Sunny to the floor in his wrath. “YOU CLAIMED WE’D FIND THE TRIPLETS THERE, AND YET IT WAS ENTIRELY EMPTY! NO HUMANS, NO TRAITOROUS DOGS, NOTHING! NO ONE WAS THERE!” 

“If I may, Your Highness,” Jacques interrupted from the cell next door, “it sounds to me like they knew about the raid beforehand. It’s likely they packed up and got out before your police could reach them. That being the case, you really can’t brand the girl a liar for simple ignorance.” 

Count Olaf whirled on the satyr, and Sunny yelped as the Warlock ignited a ball of fire in his bare hands and held it aloft as he advanced on Jacques. The Count stopped, gazing in at the wretched creature who Sunny could now see was shackled to the floor, unable to move more than a few inches. He had a gash on his cheek, and his eyes were bleary from hunger. Count Olaf started to chuckle, and he lowered the flame in his hands so that it appeared more as a light instead of a weapon. 

“Oh, you noble buffoon,” Count Olaf laughed, shaking his head at the shackled satyr. “I see my lovely Queen never told you how exactly we found out about your treachery. Didn’t she ever tell you why you’re here, stuffed in my dungeon instead of off galavanting around in the forest?” 

Jacques gave the Warlock a glare, which Sunny found to be awfully brave given their current circumstances. “I am here,” he said firmly, “because I believe in a _free_ Narnia.” 

The queen cackled as she entered into the dungeon, and Sunny felt her blood run cold as the woman took her place by the false king’s side. That laugh, the way it echoed all around them and filled the air with a sickening menace that sent a shiver down Sunny’s side. It was one she’d heard before, one that still gave her the creeps. She looked at Olaf’s queen, really looked at her, and all at once some of Sunny’s worst memories became less foggy. The face she looked at now, from inside her dungeon cell, was the face of Esme Gigi Genevieve Squalor, the city’s sixth most important financial advisor back on their world, and apparently the queen of this world’s worst and most barbaric ruler. 

Oh, Sunny was so fucking stupid for trusting that bitch! 

“Listen here, goat-man, enough of that nonsense,” Esme commanded, crouching slightly so she could look him in the eyes. “You are here because _she_ \--” and here, Esme grabbed the satyr’s jaw and forcefully turned his head so that he was looking over at Sunny-- “turned you in, telling us all about how you warned a Human about our laws before helping her escape. Do you know _why_ this little ray of sunshine told us about you? Hmm? Do you think we threatened her or beat it out of her? Oh, no. No, we merely offered her sweets, and she gave you up just. Like. That.” 

“So keep that in mind the next time you try to protect a stranger in a cell,” Count Olaf added with a smirk as Esme got to her feet, dusting herself off. He turned to her, and his smirk became a widened, wicked grin. “If you’ll release the satyr, I’ll grab the girl and ready the sleigh. It looks to me as though she’s beginning to miss her family, and as any decent being would do we’re going to help them reunite.” 

“Oh, at once My King,” Esme purred, running her hands across his chest. She jerked her head at the bald ogre, who lumbered obediently forward with a club in his hands. He roughly grabbed the satyr by the shackles, and Jacques screamed as the beast slammed down the club, effectively snapping the chains-- and, in the process, Jacques’ ankles as well. The bald ogre wrapped his arms around Jacques’ chest and dragged him out. Sunny tried to catch his eye, to somehow communicate to him that she was sorry, that she hadn’t known what was going on here, that she hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. But the satyr kept his gaze down on the floor, refusing to look anywhere but at his legs, both now bent at odd angles. 

Sunny flinched as she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She shuddered, looking into a shiny set of eyes she’d hoped never to see again. “Come along, pet,” Count Olaf urged. “We have some hunting to do.” 


	8. Through the Tunnel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I haven't updated this in so long, the stay-at-home order was lifted in my area and so I had family come visit, as well as tackling going back to work. I wish I could promise to post more regularly, but honestly I'm still trying to manage my schedule through all of this. I hope you guys are all staying safe and being careful, and I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter!

Quigley felt like he couldn’t breath. He looked across the plateau at the imposing gold castle looming in the distance, and he felt his throat close up in fear. Count Olaf was over there, and as he watched he could just see the tiny dot in the distance that was Sunny make her way through the castle’s front garden. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, or that they had arrived too late to save her. 

“SUNNY!” Klaus screamed, and Jackal snarled at him. 

“Be quiet!” she commanded, ears flat against her head. “If anyone in that castle notices you, you’re all done for!” 

Violet shook her head and bolted forward. 

“No!” Olivia yelped, throwing herself into Violet’s legs. The two tumbled to the ground in a heap, and Violet cursed more colorfully than Quigely would have thought possible. 

“We have to go back,” Jackal said, already edging nervously back the way they’d come. 

“We can’t just leave her,” Klaus argued. 

“She’s our sister,” Beatrice added. 

“She’s willingly given herself over to the false king,” Jackal growled. “There’s nothing any of us can do.” 

“There has to be something,” Violet insisted, and Quigley didn’t think he’d ever heard her sound so desperate. “There’s always something.” 

Jackal and Olivia exchanged looks. “I’m sorry,” the fox mumbled, avoiding eye contact with any of the humans. 

Klaus kicked at a rock in anger before turning to glare at his older sister. “This is your fault,” he spat. 

“What?” Violet asked, her eyes blazing. “ _ My  _ fault?” 

“If you hadn’t agreed to go wandering around here even after I  _ told  _ you to back me up and get everybody out of here, none of this would have happened!” he told her. 

“What, like you  _ knew  _ this was going to happen?” she scoffed. 

“I didn’t know what would happen,” Klaus confessed. “None of us did! Which is exactly why we should have left while we still could--” 

“Stop it!” Beatrice yelled, looking like she might burst into tears. Quigley placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and she clutched his side like she was scared he might disappear, too. “Fighting won’t save Sunny.” 

“She’s right,” Olivia said softly. “You need each other, perhaps now more than ever.” 

Violet blinked tears out of her eyes, turning away from her brother to face the Narnians. “Is there any way for me to get her back? A side-entrance maybe, or even a sewer system I can sneak through?” 

“If you try it, they’ll catch you and they will kill you,” Jackal warned, and Quigley sighed. He remembered back in the Mortmain Mountains, when he’d first met the two oldest Baudelaire siblings and he’d helped find Sunny, only to have her insist on staying on Mount Fraught so she could spy on the Man With a Beard and No Hair and the Woman With Hair and No Beard. He’d been so scared for her then, and he was all the more terrified for her now. 

“What  _ can _ we do for her then?” Duncan asked, putting an arm around Klaus. 

Jackal sighed. “If we could find where King Snicket’s army has set up camp, he could probably send in some volunteers to get her out of there. A half-dozen children storming the castle would be slaughtered, but a squadron of trained volunteers might have better luck.” 

“Where is his camp?” Violet asked. 

“We don’t know,” Olivia admitted. “We have a map back at the den, and we’ve marked some of the areas we think it might be. We’ve actually managed to narrow it down quite a bit.” 

“Okay,” Klaus sighed. “We’ll go back to the den and grab the map, then we’ll find this camp and we’ll get Sunny back.” 

“So we just leave her here?” Violet said, staring forlornly at the castle, and Quigley knew what she was thinking. That it was right there, that they were so close to Sunny that just leaving her behind to go trekking around Narnia seemed folly. 

“There’s no way to get her out of there on our own,” Isadora reiterated. “Jackal is right; a troop of trained soldiers would have a far better chance than we ever would.” 

“In terms of brute strength, yeah,” Violet said. “But maybe if we stop and think for a moment, we can come up with a plan to outsmart them. ‘Even strength must bow to wisdom,’ right? And we’ve proven ourselves wiser than Olaf a hundred times over.” 

“Yeah, and we’ve still ended up in his clutches,” Isadora pointed out. “Regardless of how much smarter we are, he’s still dangerous if we get caught.” 

“Which you will if you try to storm the castle on your own,” Jackal affirmed.

“An army is our best chance,” Klaus told his sister flatly. “If you wanna march in there and get yourself killed, Sunny will still be trapped with Olaf, and there will just be one less person trying to save her.” 

“Fuck you,” Violet replied, but Quigley could tell by her tone that she knew Klaus had a point. 

“Well, let’s get the map then,” Quigley encouraged, taking Beatrice’s hand. “The sooner we find the camp, the sooner we can rescue Sunny.” Klaus stopped, giving him an odd look. “What? Do I have something on my face?” 

“You guys don’t have to come,” Klaus said, looking at the Quagmires. “In fact, you really shouldn’t.” 

“He’s right,” Violet agreed. “You three should head back through the wardrobe before something else bad happens. It’s going to be dangerous, and you guys don’t need to risk your lives for our sister. Besides, if the prophecy refers to triplets specifically--” 

“Then that makes this our fight more so than yours,” Isadora interjected. 

“And anyway, Sunny might not be our sister, but she is family,” Quigley insisted, giving Beatrice’s hand a squeeze. “You all are.” 

“Surely you must know by now,” Duncan spoke, turning to face Klaus. The two shared a look, and Quigley had to suppress an excited squeal. He’d heard so many stories about Klaus from his brother, and he and Isadora had had many late-night discussions about Duncan’s obvious crush on the Baudelaire boy. He caught his sister’s eye, and he and Isadora shared an excited grin as Duncan took Klaus’ hand in his own as he said, “ _ This  _ is what friends are for.” 

Klaus gazed at him, looking torn. “If anything happens to you--” 

“It won’t,” Duncan said firmly. 

“I told you Humans before, your army won’t let any harm befall the triplets,” Jackal assured them. “They’re our saviors; we’d never let anything bad happen to them. We need them.” 

“First we have to get to that army,” Klaus pointed out. 

“Then let’s stop yakking and get a move on!” Quigley urged. 

Jackal gave a soft  _ woof  _ of approval and led the way back to the den. The children were lost in thought as they all marched back, and in a way it felt like taking several steps back. It had been a shocking discovery to find Sunny gone from the cave, and it had been all the more astonishing when Jackal had suggested the girl might have gone to see the queen  _ and been right.  _ After that it had been a mad rush as they’d all tried to reach the palace before Sunny could, hoping desperately to catch up to the girl and stop her from turning herself over to Queen Esme. It had seemed strange that Sunny might travel there voluntarily, but there had been no time to question it, and they had still been too late. 

No they trudged back to the den, without Sunny, to grab a map that had been there all along, one they needed to find an army before they could even think about rescuing Sunny. It all felt like they were taking several steps back as they returned to the place they’d already been, to retrieve an item they’d already had, while leaving a family member to suffer in the clutches of Count Olaf, a man who should already have been dead. It was a strange situation they’d found themselves in, and as the sun began to rise, bathing the world in soft peach and coral hues, Quigley could not help but wonder if their lives would ever be anything other than strange. 

“Shh!” Olivia shushed them all suddenly, putting out a paw as a gesture for them to stop. The children all drew still, giving the fox equally confused expressions. The desert fox ignored them, turning to face her den-mate. “Do you hear that?” 

Jackal cocked her head, a slight frown creasing her furry face as she strained to hear what the little sand vixen was picking up. Her eyes widened as she realized what she was hearing, and she instantly turned to the oldest Quagmire triplet. “Into the den, now!” 

The children did not hesitate, and they all dove inside the cave, quickly followed by the two canines. Jackal got up on her hind paws, using her front two to push a large boulder in front of the entrance. When Quigley saw what she was doing, he instantly rushed over to help her push and the stone moved more easily. She nodded her thanks before joining Olivia to snuffle around the far side of the den. 

“Uh, what’s going on?” Beatrice asked. 

“It’s the Secret Police,” Olivia panted, nosing a bit of cloth out of her way as she bit down on a frayed piece of rope that had been half-buried in the dirt. 

“They were behind us, and gaining fast,” Jackal told them, helping Olivia tug on the rope. At last it gave way, pulling up a huge chunk of the floor with it. As dirt rained down, filling the cave with dust and making the kids cough, Quigley could see that there was a secret tunnel leading out of the den. He sighed, remembering the last secret tunnels he’d been in, how lonely he’d been and how afraid. He had a feeling this time would differ only in company. 

“Will one of you children grab the map?” Olivia asked, nudging a lantern over to Jackal. “It’s tucked inside the top of the chandelier.” 

Quigley nodded, hopping up on top of the dining table as he reached his hand around inside the chandelier until he felt his knuckles brush paper. He grabbed the map and jumped down. As he did so, he heard a very strange noise sound from the ceiling; it was a scuffling noise, one that made the youngest Quagmire triplet think of days spent playing in the dirt, digging around for pretend buried treasure. Indeed, loose bits of dust and gravel fell from the dome of the den, coating its eight occupants. 

Olivia turned with widened eyes to face her den-mate.  _ “They’re trying to collapse the roof!”  _

“Everybody, into the tunnel!” Jackal growled softly. “Now!” 

The children obeyed at once, jumping through the trapdoor and down into the dark. Jackal grabbed the lantern and followed after them. Olivia paused to jerk the rope, tugging the wall of flooring back down overtop of them, sealing them in the damp, dark earth. Jackal nudged Violet, offering her the lantern and nodding her head to the people in front of her. Violet nodded her understanding, quietly passing the lantern over to Quigley and pointing at Klaus, who was standing at the front of the group. Quigley nodded, tapping Duncan on the shoulder and pointing at Klaus as he handed his brother the lantern. At last the lantern made its way to Klaus, who turned the knob up so that the flame would shine as brightly as it could as he led the way through the tunnel. It was a long and winding road, and Violet, who was at the very back and therefore getting the least amount of light, kept tripping over the roots and rocks that littered the path. After the third or fourth time that she stumbled forward and crashed against his back, nearly sending the both of them crashing into Isadora, he stuck his arm out behind his back to grab her hand so that he could guide her through the dark. It was slightly less hazardous after that, but the going was still rough and the path was still long. 

“What was that?” Beatrice suddenly asked, her voice cutting through the silence sharper than any knife. The group paused, listening for whatever had caught the youngest Baudelaire’s attention. All at once, Quigley heard it: grunts and roars amidst the rapid thudding of numerous footsteps. 

Violet gave Quigley’s hand a squeeze. “They’re in the tunnel,” she whispered, and Quigley could see by Jackal and Olivia’s expressions that she was right. 

“Hurry!” he said, and the others didn’t need to be told twice. Klaus sprinted down the tunnel, causing the light to swing crazily around, throwing shadows across the path that looked like enemies leaping out of the walls at them. It made Quigley remember the fire that had burned down his house, the flames creeping up the walls that had cast such terrifying shadows, mixing with the smoke that had threatened to close his lungs, and would have if his mother hadn’t dropped him into the VFD tunnels below, leaving him alone and scared out of his mind, but safer than he had been in the raging fires above. 

“You’re alright, Quigley,” Violet murmured as they ran, breaking Quigley out of his reverie. He flinched as he felt something wet roll down his cheek, and he suddenly realized he was crying. “It’s okay. We’re all right here with you. We’ll make it out of here.” 

Quigley choked back a sob as he continued to run, not daring to let go of Violet’s hand. All at once, they reached a solid wall of dirt that signified the end of the road in what felt like more ways than one. Klaus smacked a fist against it, but the dirt didn’t budge. 

“We’re trapped!” he cried, looking like a cornered animal as he spun in a circle, trying desperately to find a way out. “What do we do?”

“Climb!” Olivia panted. “The tunnel exit is right above you, if you push on the top it will swing open for us.” 

“I’ve got it,” Duncan, the tallest of the group, said as he moved past Klaus. He jumped and threw his hands above his head, shoving the top of the tunnel out of the way. A sudden gust of wind from the outside air breezed through the tunnel, extinguishing the lantern’s flame. Luckily, the light of the sun came through as well, replacing the flickering flame. Duncan quickly gave Klaus a leg-up, tossing him up to safety. He did the same for Beatrice, passing her up into Klaus’ waiting arms. Isadora shook her head at him as he turned to face her. 

“I’m good,” she said, jumping through the hole and squirming out the top. 

“Help Violet first,” Quigley told his brother, pressing himself to the walls of the tunnel so the eldest Baudelaire could pass by. 

“Quigley--” 

“There’s no time to argue,” he told her. She sighed, knowing he was right. Duncan kneeled, letting her step off his knee so she could reach up and take Isadora’s hand and be pulled to safety. 

Duncan turned to his brother. “Your turn.” 

Quigley nodded, wanting to protest but not daring to waste the time. He allowed his brother to wrap his arms around his hips, lifting him up enough that he could just grab the edge of the surface above them and hoist himself the rest of the way out of the hole. Right behind him came Jackal, raised up by Duncan, and Quigley was quick to grab the Jackal and help her out. Isadora quickly took Olivia in her arms, placing her gently on the ground as Duncan finally made his way up too. As soon as he was clear of the entrance, the Narnians pushed the trapdoor back into place, sealing their enemies in the dark. Hopefully when the members of the Secret Police reached the end, they’d be just as confused as Klaus was, at least long enough that the children could get away. 

“Oh,” Olivia gasped out loud, sounding startled and sad. Quigley whirled around, expecting the worst. Instead he found...statues. Five of them, and all of them were of animals. There was a badger, a squirrel, a bulldog, a garden snake, and a small songbird. The detail on them was incredible, and they were all lifesize and eerily lifelike. 

“I’m so sorry, my love,” Jackal soothed, pressing her snout to the desert fox’s shoulder, who stood gazing at the stone statues as though she’d lost someone very important to her. 

“They were my best friends,” Olivia whimpered, taking a hesitant step towards the badger. It was then that Quigley realized these statues had not always been stone. He sucked in a breath, wondering how something like that could have happened. “They were never the boldest of Narnians. I wonder what…?” 

“Wh-what happened here?” Duncan asked, shivering despite the heat of the sun at their backs. 

“This is what becomes of those who cross the Warlock,” a voice answered, causing the kids to all jump. A bear about the size of Klaus lumbered out from behind the wide-based yew tree in front of them. Its fur was black as night, aside from its snout and a V-shaped stripe across its chest, both of which were a yellowish color. Jackal and Olivia instantly leapt in front of the children, snarling viciously at the newcomer. “Oh, will you relax? I'm one of the good guys.” 

“Is that so?” Jackal growled. “Because you look an awful lot like one of the bad ones.” 

“Everyone knows the Secret Police are exclusively bears,” Olivia added, hackles raised. 

“I wouldn’t call them the  _ Secret  _ Police, as evidently they are not so secret,” the bear chuckled slightly. “Not that I’d call them police, either, given their tendency to maul innocent bystanders. Or does that make them exactly like police?” 

“Enough talk!” Jackal snapped. “We’re taking these children to King Snicket, and no amount of stalling on your part is going to change that.” 

“I’m not trying to stall,” the bear sighed. “Though you are right: we are wasting time. Maugrim and his brutes are right on your heels. Trust me when I say you won’t make it very far on the run. Your best bet is to listen to me. Please, look past the unfortunate family resemblance for a moment and let me help you.” 

As Jackal took a threatening step forward, Quigley put a hand on her back to stop her. He regarded the bear, and even though he knew it might be a mistake, he decided to trust the creature. “What did you have in mind?” he asked. 

The bear let out a sigh, looking immensely relieved. “Squeeze yourselves into the base of that yew tree. Hurry!” 

Quigley gestured for his siblings to follow him as he slipped past the winding roots and sections of bark that made up the base of the yew tree. The center of it was hollow, and it was wide enough that the children and their companions had just enough room to all fit inside, although it was going to be cramped. As everybody packed themselves in, Jackal gave him a glare to show she did not approve of his plan. Quigley pressed himself against one of the roots, maneuvering himself around so that the others would fit beside him. At one point Duncan accidentally stepped on his toes, and Klaus hugged Beatrice flat against his chest as Violet pushed her back flat against Isadora. Just as Olivia wriggled her way into the base, the trapdoor exploded open, and half a dozen large, angry brown bears flooded the meadow. 

“Greetings, my good Captain,” the sun bear greeted them. “Lost something, have we? I might could help, if you think you’d need it.” 

“Don’t patronize me!” one of the brown bears roared. He wasn’t the largest of the bunch, but he certainly looked the most roughed up. He was missing a patch of fur behind his right ear, and a large scar ran across his left eye. As he pulled back his lips to show his teeth, Quigley could see as well that two of his teeth were chipped and jagged. “I know where your allegiances lie. You’re a traitor to your kind! As soon as we deal with these infiltrators, we’re coming back for you. That is, unless you actually prove useful to us.” 

The sun bear tilted his head at the bunch. “I’m listening,” he said with a yawn. 

The bear with the scar jerked his head, and one of the other brown bears lashed out, slashing his claws at the little sun bear’s face. As he desperately scrambled out of reach, one of the other guards pounced forward, sinking his jaws into the scruff of the sun bear’s neck. He yelped out in pain, and out of the corner of Quigley’s eye he could see Klaus cup a hand over Beatrice’s mouth to muffle her gasp. 

“I’m offering you your life as your reward,” the command bear growled, taking a menacing step towards the sun bear, who dangled from the jaws of the other brown bear. “It’s not much. But still.” 

There was a pause as the sun bear lowered his head in shame. Quigley’s heart pounded in his chest as the bear let out a heartbroken sigh. He was going to sell them out! He was going to give away their hiding spot, and then the children would all be slaughtered and it would be all Quigley’s fault, and he couldn’t believe how fucking stuoid he’d been to trust that damn bear! 

“West,” the bear lied, shutting his eyes tight as though at war with himself. “They went west, back towards the mountains. They said they had a portal there, something that could get them back through to where they came from.” 

The bear with the scar gave him a skeptical look. “They returned to their world,” he said slowly, “without the little one that the queen lured in?” 

The sun bear whined. “Th-they said….” 

“Tell me!” the brown bear snarled. 

“They said they would get reinforcements!” the sun bear cried, hanging his head even lower. “They said the creatures from their world would come through and that they would defeat the Fire Warlock once and for all. Th-they said all they had to do was get back through.” 

“Then we can’t let them get that far,” the brown bear mumbled to himself. He turned to two of the bears at the back, one slightly smaller than the others, and much leaner, and the second being very muscled with several scratches on his cheek. “You two, go back and see the King. Alert him of our progress.” 

“Yes sir,” the bears obliged, turning and barreling off through the forest. 

“The rest of you,” the scarred bear said, “move out NOW! We cannot let those Humans get those reinforcements!” 

The rest of the force roared their agreement before charging off towards the mountains. The one holding the sun bear tossed him roughly to the ground before leaving with the others. The sun bear lay on the ground for a moment, whimpering as the Secret Police rushed past, and he stayed still even after they were out of sight. Jackal kept her ears pricked, making sure the bears would not circle back around and discover them. Eventually she let out a sigh, and she nodded her head at the children to let them know it was safe to move out from their hiding spot. 

“Are you alright?” Beatrice asked, immediately rushing over to check on the wounded sun bear. 

“I’m quite alright, milady,” the sun bear replied. “Just catching my breath.” 

“They’ll find out you were lying,” Jackal told him. “And when they do, they’ll come looking for you. I’m afraid they won’t spare you a second time.” 

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take,” the bear groaned, “as long as it’s for a chance at freedom.” 

Quigley exchanged looks with his siblings. He knew Duncan sided with Klaus. He knew the two boys wanted to stay only long enough to get Sunny and get out. He knew it wasn’t safe, and that certainly they shouldn’t have involved Beatrice in any of this. But he also knew that the Narnians were desperate. He didn’t know if he believed in prophecies, but he knew that the Narnians believed in them, and that they were counting on them. How could they just abandon them all? He tried to meet Duncan’s eye, but his brother quickly turned away. He clearly didn’t want to discuss it. 

“I hope you weren’t planning on heading west,” the sun bear said, sounding apologetic. 

“We weren’t,” Isadora assured him kindly. “We were actually going to try to find King Snicket’s camp. Supposedly he has an army. You wouldn’t happen to know where they are?” 

“Know where they are?” the bear chuckled. “Your Majesty, I helped rally them. I was working alongside King Snicket himself mere days ago to gather the recruits.” 

Olivia gasped. “You mean to say you’ve  _ met  _ King Snicket? What was he like?” 

“Like everything we’ve heard,” the bear assured her, a warm smile on his furry lips. “He’s everything we need him to be and more. With the triplets at his side, the false king won’t stand a chance.” 

“I’m sorry,” Duncan said, shaking his head, “but I don’t want to give you any false hope. We’re only trying to find the camp to get Sunny Baudelaire back from Count Olaf. Once we have her, we’re leaving. We aren’t here to fight any battles or win any wars. We aren’t heroes.” 

“But, surely, King Duncan,” the bear stammered, looking desperate and confused. “The prophecy--” 

“Could refer to anyone,” Klaus interjected. “We’re sorry. We just want my sister back, and if you could help us we would really appreciate it.” 

The three Narnians all shared a look, but eventually the sun bear let out a sigh and turned to face Duncan. “Of course I’ll help, Your Highness. I can’t take you the whole way, but I can at least point you in the right direction.” 

“Thank you,” Quigley said to the bear, and he meant it. He felt so conflicted about the whole situation. The Narnians clearly needed their help, and it didn’t matter that-- as Klaus has said-- the prophecy could refer to anyone, and the Quagmires being triplets could easily be a coincidence. That didn’t matter. The Narnians believed in  _ them;  _ that’s what made the prophecy about them. It wasn’t that the Quagmires were triplets, it was that the Narnians had chosen them specifically to be the heroes, and Quigley didn’t want to let them down. He wanted to keep his family safe, yes, but he also really wanted to help out the oppressed citizens risking their lives to help them. It seemed only fair. Isadora caught his eye as they followed the sun bear east, and with the look she gave him, he knew she sided with him. He offered her a slight nod, and she gave him a small smile before nudging her head towards Duncan. Quigley winked, and with that it was decided. 

They had until they reached King Snicket’s camp to convince Duncan to fight in the war against Count Olaf. Could their lives get any stranger?


	9. Larry of the Bells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyo! So as you can see, I actually am still alive. Sorry for the long pause, and a huge shoutout to everyone still following this fic. I haven't felt very motivated lately, so I don't know when the next update for this will be (but I do intend to finish this!). Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and thank you so much for giving it a read!

“If you keep heading east, you’ll reach the Great River. Once you cross it, you’ll soon reach the Ford of Beruna, and the camp is just beyond that. As soon as you reach it, just request to see King Snicket, and tell him all that happened with Sunny Baudelaire. He’ll know what to do,” Monty, the sun bear, explained. 

“Thank you,” Olivia thanked him warmly. 

“We appreciate you taking us this far,” Jackal added, giving him a grateful nod. 

“Will we see you again?” Isadora asked as Monty turned to go. 

The bear paused. “I’ll be at the final battle,” Monty told her, “fighting alongside whoever is brave enough to stand against the false king.” 

Duncan watched the bear trudge off, and he felt ambivalent about it. He knew Monty had been incredibly disappointed to learn that the children had no plans of fighting in the coming war, and yet he had still risked everything to help them find King Snicket’s camp. He felt bad, and he did want to help, but he couldn’t risk the lives of his family. _He couldn’t._ And he wasn’t oblivious to the looks his two siblings kept exchanging between themselves. He knew they wanted to stay and fight just as much as Duncan did. That’s what made Duncan stick so firmly to his decision to get them all out of there, the fact that Quigley and Isadora _wanted_ to stay and fight. It was dangerous! Wars were dangerous, and they were acting like this was all just some fun video game that they could play to feel like a hero, but they didn’t act like they understood the consequences. It didn’t feel like they understood that if they got hurt here, they would die. He needed them to be mature about things, but as usual that role was left entirely to Duncan to shoulder. 

“It won’t be much longer now,” Klaus whispered in assurance, and Duncan smiled. 

Okay, so the role wasn’t _entirely_ left to Duncan. He blushed as Klaus’ hand brushed his, and it took everything within him not to twine his fingers together with the young researcher’s, letting their interlocked hands dangle between them as they walked. Duncan cleared his throat, shaking his head at himself. He was being absurd. He and Klaus could never be together, ever. Life was difficult as it was without adding all the woes of a same-sex couple to the mix. Not that Duncan was homophobic. Isadora had come out to him back when it was just the two of them up in Hector’s self-sustained hot mobile home, and he’d never been happier for her. True, he’d never really pictured her marrying a woman, though to be fair he never gave much thought to his sister’s future love life anyway. He was mostly just happy that she’d trusted him enough to tell him something like that. It had been then that he’d confessed to her his secret crush on Klaus, to which Isadora had laughed and told him that it really wasn’t so secret. She’s also told him that she supported him, and that she thought the two boys would make a cute couple. Duncan sighed, remembering what Violet had said the Quagmires’ first night at the Professor’s house: that Klaus had feelings for him as well. Duncan’s heart suddenly pounded inside his chest as he snuck a glance over at Klaus. Was that true? Did the boy feel the same way? 

“Are you okay?” Klaus suddenly asked, looking over him in concern. “Your face is all red.” 

“Oh,” Duncan gulped, and his blush deepened. “I-I just, uh….” 

“Here,” Klaus insisted, passing him a bottle of water. Duncan managed a small smile as he accepted the proffered water. He took a long chug, very grateful for the excuse Klaus had inadvertently provided for him. He kept his eyes on his shoes, even as the Baudelaire boy cleared his throat, and out of the corner of his eye Duncan could see him fidgeting nervously as the boy sucked in a breath. “Hey, Duncan, there’s something I--” 

“Shh!” Jackal shushed them all suddenly, standing with her ears erect as she stared at a point behind them. The children stopped walking instantly, allowing her some silence to concentrate. She glanced at her den-mate, looking puzzled. “Do you hear that?” 

Olivia nodded. “Bells.” 

“There’s only two sleighs in all of Narnia that have fucking _bells_ on the harnesses,” Jackal murmured, her ears flattening as she faced the children. 

“I doubt it’d be L out here in the open,” Olivia groaned. 

“Time to run?” Quigley guessed. 

Jackal nodded, and the group booked it across the flat, dry expanse they’d been crossing over. The ground beneath them was red and cracked, and dust flew with every step the children took, but they kept at it, ignoring the heat of the sun pounding down on them in favor of racing for the cover of trees that lined the horizon. Duncan’s heart pounded as they ran. They were so exposed here, even if they could make it to the woods before Count Olaf ran them down it wasn’t as though he wouldn’t see where they went. He’d catch up to them eventually, and Duncan did not want to think about what would happen when he did. Memories of cramped, dark spaces flooded his mind, and he let out an involuntary whimper as he thought about the days he and Isadora had spent as Count Olaf’s captives. As the minutes ticked by with the group hauling ass, Duncan began to hear what their two Narnian escorts must have: pounding footsteps, the rush of a sleigh, and the distinct jangle of bells. Whoever was coming after them was getting closer. 

“Jackal!” Duncan called, anxiety ringing his voice. 

“I know!” Jackal panted, veering sharply to the left. The kids followed her, and a few steps later they had reached the treeline. Jackal led them further into the forest, sniffing the air aggressively as they went. Finally she yelped in delight and switched directions yet again until the group reached a small ledge. She nodded her head down below, where a hole the size of Beatrice opened up into a small cavern that would fit everybody if they all crouched and squeezed together. “Get in!” 

Wordlessly, the children obeyed, packing themselves together in yet another cramped hiding spot. Duncan nearly gagged as the smell of six sweaty children and two dirty canines forced together in a dry, underground cavern slammed his nostrils. Everybody stayed quiet as they all heard the sleigh ride up near the ledge. There were several animalistic snorts as the sled came to a stop, and a quiet _thump!_ let the children know that the driver had dismounted. Duncan flinched as a hand slid into his, and he didn’t hesitate before giving the hand a comforting squeeze as they waited, praying they wouldn’t be discovered. 

“What are you doing?” Olivia quietly growled as Jackal moved to leave the cave. 

Jackal shook her head, looking conflicted. “I-I smell….” 

Her voice trailed off as she took another step forward. Olivia gave her a desperate look as she softly cried, “Don’t!” 

Jackal let out a quiet huff. “I’ll be careful. Stay here with the kids a moment.” 

Olivia looked terrified as her den-mate slipped out of the safety of the cave, and Duncan held tighter to the hand that’d grasped his. It felt so horribly as though they were about to be discovered. He shivered, worrying about what would happen to them all when they were back in Count Olaf’s clutches. He knew the Olaf of their world had been cruel and vicious, and he’d threatened the Quagmires multiple times a day when he’d had them last time. Duncan felt a pang of guilt as he remembered the promise he’d made to Isadora the day the Baudelaires had finally rescued them: that he’d never let Count Olaf get them ever again. He blinked back tears, thinking that he was about to break that promise and that he was a terrible sibling for doing so. 

Footsteps slammed against the top of the ledge, and Beatrice let out a scream as a figure suddenly poked its head through the hole, looking directly at the children. Duncan audibly sighed with enormous relief as his eyes adjusted and he saw that it was only Jackal peering in at them, and she had a noticeable canine grin on her face. 

“Well, don’t just sit there!” she laughed, gesturing with her head to get them to come out. “Get out here! Come see who it is!” 

The children all exchanged a look in the dark, but at last Olivia hopped out and called for the kids to follow her. As they all made their way out of the cavern, Duncan realized with a start that he was still gripping Klaus’ hand, and he quickly dropped it. He thought Klaus looked a little disappointed, but before Duncan could fully discern his expression the boy had turned to climb out of the cavern, and Duncan quickly followed after him. As he got to his feet and hopped over the ledge, he cast a curious glance at the sleigh that had given them such a fright. It was a sleek cherry wood, and it was pulled by a team of white stags, harnessed together with a silver cord, golden bells chiming cheerfully across it. The driver stood in front of it, tall and slender, with a sheepish grin on his face as he wrung his hands together nervously. His large ears ended in a point, leading Duncan to guess the creature was an elf, although the familiarity of his face left Duncan remembering a man. 

“Larry?” Isadora asked quietly, perplexed. “Didn’t he work in the cafeteria at Prufrock Prep?” 

Violet shook her head. “No, he was a waiter at this clown restaurant where our Aunt Josephine lived.” 

“Close,” Klaus frowned. “He was a waiter, but it was at that fish restaurant that Esme took us to, not the Anxious Clown.” 

“Children,” Jackal said, giving the elf a warm smile. “This is a very special volunteer, and a good friend of mine. He’s here to help.” 

“Hi,” the elf greeted. “I’m Larry-the-Elf. I’ll be your magical helper on this lovely afternoon, and it is my high honor to bestow gifts to you, ones that will be sure to help you on your journey. With your presence, I am happy to say, the magic of the Fire Warlock is weakening, which means with these gifts I’m about to give you, both sides will be about even in strength.” 

Duncan exchanged a look with Klaus, wondering if they should decline. Clearly Larry-the-Elf wanted them to have gifts that would be useful when they fought in the war. Considering they had no intentions of fighting, Duncan couldn’t help but feel it might be rude and misleading to accept the gifts without saying anything. Klaus only shrugged, and so Duncan said nothing as the elf reached into the sleigh to rummage around in a large, leather sack. 

Larry-the-Elf turned, gesturing for Beatrice to step forward. With a quick glance at Violet, Beatrice obeyed, and the elf handed her a palm-sized, emerald-green, stoppered bottle that was filled to the brim with a pearlescent silver liquid. She gave him a questioning look. “That’s a bottle of the Nectar of Moonlight,” he told her. “It’s a very rare, very powerful potion. One drop will be enough to heal any injury, even if the drinker is an inch away from death.” 

Beatrice let out a soft, _“whoa,”_ gazing at the bottle in awe. She managed to tear her eyes away from it long enough to smile at the elf, uttering a heartfelt, “Thanks!” 

“That’s not all,” Larry-the-Elf grinned, handing her a small, silver dagger with a sapphire embedded in the hilt. “Your path will be very long, and very dangerous. You’ll need this for protection.” 

“Thank you,” Beatrice said again, and Larry-the-Elf nodded. 

He pointed at Quigley, and the youngest Quagmire triplet stepped forward, trying and failing to hide his excitement. “The first thing you’ll need,” Larry-the-Elf said, “is something to keep you on track. I’m afraid Narnia is filled with spies and turncoats, plenty of citizens who will win your trust only to turn you over to the false king. From what I’ve heard, Sunny Baudelaire learned this the hard way.” 

“Yeah,” Quigley sighed. “That’s why she’s our top priority; we have to get her back before we do anything else.” 

Larry-the-Elf nodded, and he pulled out a wooden compass, inlaid with gold. “You’ll want to keep this close. Unlike most, this compass does not point north. Instead, it will point you in the direction of your nearest ally. Should you ever find yourself needing help, or questioning someone’s loyalties, you need only open this up to find your way.” 

“Neat,” Quigley gasped, flipping the top of the compass. Duncan leaned forward, watching the golden needle-point spin around to aim directly at Jackal, who stood right beside the boy. “Well, it’s nice to have confirmation that we can trust you.” 

“Speaking of trust,” Larry-the-Elf continued, handing him a bow and a quiver full of arrows. “This is not just any bow; it’s a Trust Bow. It’s been enchanted, so that all the practice in the world will not improve your aim. Instead, you must trust in yourself. If you do that, then the bow will never miss. As long as you believe in yourself, you will never have to worry.” 

“This is so cool!” Quigley squealed, notching an arrow. He tugged the string back lightly, testing the weapon out. 

Larry-the-Elf gave a small chuckle as he turned to face the eldest Baudelaire. “Lady Violet?” Violet stepped forward, her hands instinctively going to her hair to tie it back in a ribbon. The elf regarded her for a moment, before pulling two sharp swords from his bag and offering them up, hilt-first. “A fine warrior like yourself needs both defensive and offensive opportunities. You will need practice, but then again every good craft requires a bit of time and effort to become worthwhile.” 

“These are incredible!” Violet beamed, holding out in front of her first one sword and then the other. She could see the blades were different sizes-- one was a shortsword, no doubt used more for parrying, while the other was longer and double-edged-- though both could be swung with the use of one hand. The blades themselves were a bronze color, and the hilts were solid obsidian, with a single emerald embedded in each handle. 

“They totally are,” Isadora agreed. “‘Swords of might and swords of steel/Certainly strike to sweeten the deal.’” 

“I’m very glad you think so,” Larry-the-Elf grinned, and he pulled out another sword, along with a shield, and he handed both over to the Quagmire girl. “I have a feeling you’ll need both of these by the time this is all over.” 

“Aw, yeah!” Isadora squealed, slicing the sword in a downward motion and grasping the shield in close. The shield had a firm leather strap that fit comfortably across her wrist and forearm. The outside of it was a gleaming bronze, bearing a fierce, snarling wolf head emblazoned on the front. Its eyes glowed green from the two small emeralds placed in its eyes. The blade of her sword was bronze as well, and it had quite the dramatic curve to it. 

“That is called a khopesh,” Larry-the-Elf explained. “It is a very strong sword, and the curved blade adds to its strength. With enough momentum, a single swing could crack a shield. Not yours, of course. That one is enchanted so that it will never fail you. It is absolutely indestructible.” 

“That….Thank you so much,” Isadora gushed. The elf gave her an appreciatory nod before continuing on.

“Sir Klaus?” Larry-the-Elf called, and Klaus stumbled forward. The elf smiled, and he dropped a pair of worn, leather hunting boots at his feet. Klaus looked up, and Duncan knew the boy was trying to think of a polite way to ask why the fuck his gift was a used pair of hunting boots. “Try them on.” 

Klaus seemed dubious about it, but he knelt down and removed his loafers, slipping his feet inside the hunting boots instead. As soon as he’d finished tying the laces, a pair of brown wings sprouted from the heel of each shoe. They began flapping, raising Klaus a couple feet into the air. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, how do I fly these things?” Klaus shrieked, trying desperately to not fall over in midair. 

“Tell them to land,” Larry-the-Elf suggested with a laugh. 

“Land! Land!” Klaus commanded, and the wings of the shoes folded in. Klaus dropped like a stone back onto the ground. He jumped to his feet, a gleeful grin stretched across his features. “That was awesome!” 

“A skittish soul can sometimes use a quick escape,” Larry-the-Elf commented. “As a skittish soul myself, I know how it feels when things seem dire, when you appear to be hopelessly outnumbered. It can be calming just to know you have an escape plan, if necessary.” 

“Indubitably,” Klaus said, and then he caught sight of Beatrice and Quigley’s confused expressions. “It’s a word meaning without any doubt.” 

“In addition to the shoes, I want you to have this,” Larry-the-Elf added, handing him what looked like an ivory hunting horn rimmed with gold. “In case you do find yourself hopelessly outnumbered and you can’t get away, use this. If you blow into it, help will come. It’s magic will ensure they reach you in time.” 

Klaus accepted it, and his expression faltered. “I kind of wish Sunny would’ve had this, when she realized she’d been tricked.” Duncan reached out, placing a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. Klaus leaned into the touch, and he managed a watery smile for the elf. “Thank you. I have no doubt this will come in handy a lot during our journey.” 

Larry-the-Elf gave him a sympathetic smile before shifting his focus to Duncan. “Your Highness,” he said, holding out a flowing black cloak. “I give to you the gift of shadows. Wear this, and you will be unseen from enemy eyes.” 

Duncan wordlessly took the cloak, too stunned to speak. The black fabric rippled before his eyes, giving it the appearance of being made out of shadows. It felt like steam, even giving off a kind of warmth that made Duncan shiver. It was absolutely incredible, and Duncan almost couldn’t believe it. He threw the cloak over his shoulders, and felt the breath leave his body as the air thickened around him until his vision blurred. Or maybe not _blurred,_ exactly, though everything did sort of waver, and it all looked darker. It was like he was looking at the shadows of his surroundings instead of his actual surroundings. He pulled the cloak from his shoulders, laying it across his arms as he hugged it to his chest. “Thank you, Larry,” he managed to speak. 

Larry-the-Elf gave him a wink. “There’s one more thing I have for you.” 

“Thank you, that’s very generous,” Duncan said. 

“I feel every king should be protected,” Larry-the-Elf told him, “whether it be by his guards or by himself. And you, Your Highness--” 

“I’m sorry,” Duncan apologized, interrupting the elf. “It’s just, I’m not a king.” 

“Not yet,” Larry-the-Elf shrugged. “But after the false king is dethroned, Narnia will need a new ruler.” 

Duncan felt his jaw drop. “You….I….Me? Wh-why not King Snicket?” 

“Oh, of course King Snicket will be one king,” Larry-the-Elf said. “You and young Quigley will be two more kings, and the lady Isadora will be queen.” 

“I’m sorry, _what?”_ Quigley said, looking equally as stunned. 

“And to be king, you must be willing to defend and protect everyone,” Larry-the-Elf continued, holding out a spear. “That includes yourself, Sire.” 

Duncan hesitated. He didn’t quite understand why, but he felt the acceptance of this gift would mean more than the others had. The other items had been given vaguely under the guise of aiding the childrens’ “journey,” whereas this one was being offered as the weapon of a king. Duncan couldn’t help but feel that accepting it would mean accepting it with a promise: that he would fulfill his role in the prophecy, and he would one day be king. He didn’t know if he was ready for that. He glanced over at his siblings, and with a start he realized suddenly that they had both been gifted one magical item and one weapon. This, he presumed, had not been by accident. He looked from Isadora’s indestructible shield to Quigley’s ally-finding compass, and he noted how both were intended as protection. The same was true for his cloak, the one that was meant to “hide him from enemy eyes.” Duncan sighed, seeing clearly how desperate these Narnians were, that they were willing to put such faith in strangers and present them with such priceless gifts. He turned to Klaus, hoping to find the answer in his eyes. Klaus looked back at him, and he offered a warm smile and-- after a moment-- a slight, firm nod. It was his silent way of telling him that it was his decision, and that Klaus would stand behind whatever he decided. Duncan felt his heart flutter to know Klaus trusted him so. He looked at the cloak in his arms, to his siblings who looked so willingly-- so much like heroes. And they were. They had always been, even if Duncan hadn’t thought about it much before. But they were. They had been through so much, and Duncan wanted desperately to protect them, but they were past the point of him being able to completely protect them from themselves. Now, if he wanted to be there for them he would have to stand with them. Luckily, that was something that wasn’t too hard to do. So Duncan sucked in a deep breath, steadying his nerves. 

And he accepted the spear. 


	10. Latest Failure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: torture, death. Near the end of the chapter (9th, 10th, and 11th paragraphs from the end), there is description of how one character dies, and it isn't painless so if you're squeamish or don't like death scenes, maybe skip over it. Other than that, please enjoy!

Sunny hated this. She curled into herself, shivering at the sudden lack of heat in the air. Her arms and legs were bound together in a hog-tie, keeping her firmly in place at Olaf and Esme’s feet. Every stone that rolled underneath the rudders of Olaf’s sleigh made it jostle her around. She feared for her life, and she feared for the life of her family. The Secret Police had sent two bears back to tell them her family had made it out of the den, and were apparently on their way to grab reinforcements, and Sunny had decided not to say that there weren’t any reinforcements to be grabbed and brought to Narnia. Tears stained her face as the sled raced across the open craggly ground, the mountains looming up ahead of them. 

Jacques was dead, and it was all her fault. On their way to the sleigh, Olaf had dragged Sunny back through the garden of statues, and in the spot closest to the castle was a brand-new addition. It had taken a moment for Sunny to see the satyr, to see the face that had peered at her through the dark of the dungeon and had given her soft reassurances. When she’d realized what had happened, she’d let out and scream and began to cry. Olaf had cackled at her reaction before dragging her forward the rest of the way to the royal sled. The bald ogre had been waiting, and he had tied her up and tossed her in at Esme’s feet. That was when Olaf had declared that her family were heading through a portal in the mountains to bring reinforcements into Narnia, according to his Secret Police. Sunny had almost laughed at such foolishness, except that she couldn’t get the image of the stone satyr out of her mind. He’d had such a fearful, anguished expression on his face. It was all Sunny’s fault.

“What the fuck?” Olaf muttered, peering into the distance at several blobs racing across the desolate landscape. Who or whatever they were, they were hauling ass. “What is that?” 

The bald ogre let out a chuckle from the driver’s seat. “Your Majesty, I believe those are the children.” 

“What?” Esme let out a shriek. “I thought those brats were headed into the mountains!” 

“The bear said it was Monty who sold them out,” Olaf growled. “That must have all been nonsense so the beasts could have the element of surprise when they stormed the castle to kill me!” 

“Darling, they’re not heading in the direction of the castle,” Esme pointed out. 

“Well then, they’re taking the scenic route!” Olaf snarled. “The point is we’ve found them and we’re going to kill them!” He flicked his wrist, sending a sparklett of fire blasting at the bald ogre’s lower back side. 

“Your Highness?” he yelped, doing his best to bow. 

“You’re really waiting for instructions?” Olaf bellowed, incredulous. He sent another spark, larger this time, blazing at the bald ogre’s ass. “AFTER THEM! NOW!” 

“Of course!” the bald ogre whimpered, whipping at the dragons that pulled the sled. “Yah! Yah!” 

Sunny’s heart dropped as they pulled ever closer, and she could see that the bald ogre had been right. The figures racing for the treeline were in fact her family, led by the jackal and the fox. If Olaf reached them, he’d probably set them on fire. They’d die screaming, and the last thing they’d see was Sunny, and they’d know she had betrayed them. Olaf couldn’t reach them. He _couldn’t._

 _He won’t,_ Sunny decided. She wouldn’t let him. She sucked in as deep a breath as could with a gag in her mouth, and she rolled herself around so that she was on her stomach, propped up by her bound hands and legs. She let out a shaky breath, waiting for the next big bump. When the right rudder hit a substantial dip, Sunny pushed as hard as she could and threw her weight to the left, successfully rolling off of the sleigh. She went airborne for a second before crashing hard to the ground, scraping and bruising several parts of her body. She did her best to spit the sand out of her mouth, though it was difficult with the gag. She struggled to her feet, swaying like a tree in a hurricane. She pulled herself together and hopped forward, away from her family. 

“FUCK!” 

Sunny flinched, knowing Olaf had realized she’d abandoned ship, so to speak. She hopped faster, knowing she’d never get away. She was stalling, hoping she could at least give her family a fighting chance. The longer she struggled, the farther away they could get. So Sunny hopped, going as fast as she could without allowing her own momentum to drag her back to the ground. She actually made it a good several yards before she felt the breath of the dragons on her back. She threw herself to the ground as the sleigh roared past her. The bald ogre chuckled as Olaf jumped down, his eyes shinier than Sunny had ever seen them. She whimpered involuntarily as the Fire Warlock drew near, and she started to crawl away from him as quickly as she could. 

With an angry roar, Olaf dug his nails into her shoulder and flipped her onto her back. He glared at her, hatred blazing through his azure irises. He lifted his arm as though to strike her, and his entire hand ignited in a fireball that would surely kill her. “You are nothing but a menace,” Olaf seethed, his voice shaking with the force of his rage. 

“Darling!” Esme called from her seat in the sled. “We need her alive for now. Remember, the Stone Table--” 

“I’m aware of the ritual!” Olaf roared, launching the fireball over Sunny’s head. It struck several feet away, creating a fiery crater in the ground behind them. Olaf gripped Sunny by the collar of her shirt, forcing her about five inches closer to his rank breath than she’d ever wanted to be. “If you ever pull something like this again, I _will not_ spare you, peasant.” 

Sunny shuddered, and with that Olaf spun around and tossed her back into the sleigh. She hit her head on the floor hard enough to see stars, and she almost missed hearing Esme tell the ogre to “resume hunting the others.” 

She did not, however, miss when the bald ogre said, “I don’t see them, Your Majesty.” 

“Then they made it to the forest,” Olaf huffed. 

“Yeah, but it’s a big forest,” the bald ogre said. “I can’t tell where they made it through at.” 

“Well we know they went that way!” Olaf screamed, gesturing vaguely in the direction they’d last seen the children. “Just pick a spot and go after them!” 

“As you wish, My King,” the bald ogre hurriedly agreed, whipping the dragons back into action. 

They managed to make it a few more feet when a roar split the air, and Olaf gave a look of incredible annoyance. “Pull the sled over!” he grumbled. A few moments later, the sounds of half a dozen pounding footsteps filled the air until the Secret Police came lumbering up, Maugrim at the forefront of the sleuth. One of the bears beside him held a much smaller bear in his jaws, though unlike the brown bears surrounding him, the captured one was black with a yellow stripe across his chest and muzzle. Olaf glared at the group as he and Esme jumped down from the sled. “What now?” he demanded. 

“We found this traitor trying to rally your enemies near the western woods, Your Majesty,” Maugrim growled, jerking his head at the little sun bear. 

Olaf looked thoughtful for a moment. “Drop him,” he finally instructed, and the brown bear holding the prisoner instantly obeyed. Count Olaf eyed the small bear, a wicked gleam in his eyes. 

“Please forgive me,” the sun bear apologized, bowing low. 

“Save it,” Olaf spat. “Your groveling will not spare you now.” 

“Not to seem rude,” the sun bear said, “but I actually wasn’t talking to you.” 

Sunny shrank back as everybody’s gaze suddenly turned to her. She met the sun bear’s eyes, and she found a warmth there that she couldn’t explain. There was a stirring in her memories every time the bear spoke. Something about the accented voice brought to mind coconut cream cake and reptiles….and sorrow. Whoever this doppelganger was, his counterpart had not found a happy ending on Sunny’s earth. She shivered to think he might be about to suffer a similar fate on this one. 

“You were such a _help_ to my police last night,” Olaf said sarcastically before pulling a dagger from his sleeve and brandishing it at the bear. “Perhaps you can help me now. Where are the triplets headed?” 

The sun bear glanced from the dagger to Sunny, meeting her eyes once more. He gave her a look, and Sunny could see in his eyes that he would not betray them. He returned his gaze to the dagger, giving it a resigned look. There was fear in his eyes, but he kept his mouth firmly closed. 

“Then I have no further use of you,” Olaf hissed, raising the dagger to strike. 

“No!” Sunny screamed, scrambling madly in the sleigh. She kicked her feet desperately, trying to get Olaf’s attention. 

It worked. He stomped over to the sled, and with a huff he yanked the gag forcefully out of her mouth. “WHAT!” he yelled. 

“Don’t hurt him, I think I know where they’re going, just don’t hurt him!” Sunny spoke in a rush. Olaf raised his eyebrow at her, letting her know to continue talking, as he slipped the dagger back into his sleeve. 

“Don’t, Bambini, don’t tell him!” the sun bear pleaded. 

“Hush!” Olaf said, turning back to Sunny. “Where are they going?” 

“J-Jackal mentioned something about Owl Wood,” Sunny told him, giving the sun bear an apologetic look. “She said King Snicket had an army there.” 

Olaf paled. “K-King Snicket? Snicket is _here?”_ The sun bear let out a sigh, giving her a look that told her she’d made the wrong choice in divulging that information. “This changes everything,” Olaf muttered, and Sunny was pleased that the Warlock looked genuinely disturbed. 

“Darling?” Esme asked, and she too sounded nervous. “What shall we do next?” 

Olaf let out a growl, and he gave Sunny a rough pat on the head, his nails digging painfully into her scalp. “You’ve been very helpful,” he told her. He turned and stalked back over to the sun bear. 

“Your Majesty?” the bald ogre asked. 

“Y’know,” Olaf began as he stopped in front of the bear, ignoring his subjects, “I am glad this creature got to see some honesty….” 

Sunny felt her heart beat frantically at the look on Olaf’s face, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Esme and the bald ogre exchange looks. Olaf glanced over at Sunny, giving her a smirk as he ignited his hand in a ball of flames. 

“Before he died!” 

“No!” Sunny cried as the Fire Warlock set the little sun bear on fire. 

The creature screamed, dropping to the ground and wreathing this way and that as the fire ate at his fur and seared his flesh. It was a sound of pure agony, and Sunny covered her ears as best as she could, letting out a wail as her mind brought up the image of the burning bear even as she squeezed her eyes shut tight. No matter what she did, she could not escape this moment, and tears gushed down her face, soaking her clothes, as she was faced with the evidence of her latest failure. 

After what felt like hours later, the noises stopped as the bear collapsed into a pile of charred bone and ash. Count Olaf leaned against the sleigh, looking satisfied with himself for the moment. He turned to face the bald ogre, and the creature looked momentarily panicked as Olaf gave him an incredibly wicked smirk. “Let’s set up camp,” he said. 

“M-My King?” the bald ogre asked. 

“Camp,” Olaf repeated simply. “We’ll call together my army, and we’ll set up camp. If it’s a war Snicket wants, then it’s a war we’ll give to him.” 

“Darling, what about the triplets?” Esme asked. 

Olaf’s wicked smirk grew into a full blown grin at that. He chuckled slightly as he said, “If they’re going to Owl Wood, they’ll have to cross the Great River first. We’d never be able to travel that way anyway in this sleigh. We’d need it to be pulled by something with wings.” 

“So… We’re letting them go?” the bald ogre clarified, confused. 

But Olaf shook his head. “No,” he said, placing a hand on the bald ogre’s shoulder. “We’re sending in some of your companions to do the deed.” 

“Who?” Esme asked, to which Olaf cracked his knuckles and laughed. 

“We’ll send in the twins.” 


	11. Free Falling

“I think I know what Larry meant when he said Olaf’s powers were weakening,” Quigley shivered, drawing his coat a little closer around him. “I swear my sweat is freezing to my body. Pretty soon I’m gonna have icicles hanging from my armpits.” 

“Charming,” Isadora snorted, practicing swings with her khopesh. 

Violet smiled at the two triplets, feeling very high in spirits. Yes, Sunny was still in Count Olaf’s clutches and of course that terrified her to no end, but ever since Larry-the-Elf had paid them a visit she’d felt much more confident. It was like he’d told them: the gifts he gave them would level the playing field. Before, they’d just been six children up against a Fire Warlock. Now they had weapons and magical items. Violet felt like a heroine in a Greek myth, and while it was true that very few Greek heroes had happy endings, it was also true that they usually won. The quickly-dropping temperature only added to the effect, proving that their very presence was enough to threaten the Warlock’s powers. Things were actually beginning to look up. 

She glanced around at everybody. Jackal and Olivia were at the front, guiding the children through the forest. Duncan was giving Beatrice a piggy-back ride behind them, chatting with Klaus. Quigley had his commonplace notebook in hand, and he was sketching their surroundings as they walked. Isadora was practicing thrusts with her khopesh as she went. 

“I don’t think curved blades like that usually do impalements,” Violet remarked, announcing her proximity to the Quagmire girl. 

Isadora blushed. “I’ve never owned a sword before,” she admitted, lowering the weapon so that Violet could walk beside her. 

“Neither have I,” Violet shrugged. 

“So what’s up?” Isadora asked, sheathing the blade. 

Violet sucked in a breath, trying to hold on to that newfound confidence. Isadora looked at her, completely unaware, and Violet’s heart pounded in her chest. “I wanted to kiss you that night,” Violet blurted. 

Isadora stopped. “I know.” 

“I like you,” Violet continued, slipping her hands into her pockets so she wouldn’t nervously pick at her cuticles. “I think I’ve liked you for a long time, maybe even since Prufrock Prep, but I didn’t really figure it out until you showed up at the Professor’s. I’m sorry, if you don’t feel the same way, and I’m sorry if this makes things weird between us, but I like you Isadora. I really fucking like you.” 

“Oh,” was all the girl said. 

Violet’s heart sank. “Oh?” 

“Oh,” Isadora said again, and she cleared her throat, giving Violet a thumbs-up. “Good oh.” 

Violet chanced a smile. “A good oh?” 

“A very good oh,” Isadora confirmed, seemingly just able to form coherent sentences again. “‘The human heart doth beat for one/And mine does long for you a ton.’” 

“Oh,” Violet breathed, a laugh bubbling through her lips. 

“I like you a lot, Violet,” Isadora murmured, looking suddenly shy. Violet gently took her hand, and Isadora smiled as she interlocked their fingers. 

Somebody cleared their throat up ahead of them. When the girls looked up, the entire group was staring at them. The Narnians looked slightly exasperated, giving the two stationary girls a pointed look that Violet took to mean they needed to keep moving. Beatrice had a smirk on her face that made Violet blush, though she felt a little better as she observed the warm smiles given by Duncan and Klaus. Her brother even gave her a subtle wink. Then her eyes landed on the youngest Quagmire triplet. 

“Quigley,” Violet said, her heart sinking at the hurt look on the boy’s face. 

He forced a smile, looking from Violet to his sister. “I’m happy for you two.” 

“Quigley--” 

“Really,” he insisted. “Love who you love; don’t apologize for it.” He turned away and continued walking, and after a moment the Narnians continued on again. Violet and Isadora exchanged looks before following after everyone else. 

It was a silent walk after that. Eventually they had to halt when Jackal gave a soft growl of, “Oh, what the hell?” 

Violet stepped closer to see what the problem was.  _ Oh,  _ she thought with an inward groan. The problem, she could see, was that they had reached the Great River. The problem was that Olaf’s powers were weakened, and so instead of going for a nice, quick swim in the hot weather, they were going to have to figure out how to cross over a partially-frozen river without dropping into its swirling depths and getting pneumonia. 

“None of this looks familiar,” Olivia sighed. 

“No, it doesn’t,” Jackal huffed. “Monty said we’d be able to see the camp from here, but all I see are the mountains and that waterfall!” 

“Maybe that’s what he meant,” Quigley said. “We’d have a much better vantage point from the top of that waterfall. I bet we could see the whole valley from up there.” 

“Yes, but the problem is that there’s no way for us to get up there,” Olivia informed him kindly. “Not unless we want to backtrack a few miles and trudge uphill on uneven terrain. It would take hours, and after that we’d have to find our way back down. It just wouldn’t be worth it.”

Violet eyed the frozen waterfall, a thoughtful expression on her face. 

“Vi,” Klaus warned, crossing his arms. 

“I could climb up there,” Violet stated. “It would take me a half hour, maybe more?” 

“No way,” Klaus argued. “I’m not letting you climb up there.” 

“Like Quigley said, I’d be able to see the whole valley from up there,” Violet protested. “Then we could find the camp and head right to it, instead of roaming around aimlessly and winding up in Count Olaf’s clutches.” 

“It’s too dangerous,” Klaus said stubbornly. 

“I climbed up the waterfall at Mount Fraught,” Violet reminded him. “How is this any different?” 

“You only had to climb up the waterfall at Mount Fraught to save Sunny,” Klaus huffed. 

“Is that not what we’re doing now?” Violet pointed out. “Count Olaf has her in his clutches, which shouldn’t even be possible considering he fucking died, and yet here we are!” 

“Yeah, here we are thanks to  _ you,”  _ Klaus snapped. “I told you when we first got here that we should go back, and again when we found out Jacques the fucking satyr got arrested, and one more time when we ran into the talking canines that sound like Olivia and Mr. Poe’s assistant.  _ You  _ were the one who talked everybody into sticking around long enough for--” 

“Guys, stop it!” Beatrice shouted. 

“Look, there’s a simple solution here,” Duncan said. He gestured to Klaus’ bag. “Larry-the-Elf gave you those flying shoes, Klaus. It might be dangerous for Violet to climb up the waterfall, but she has a point about us getting a lay of the land before we keep going. Maybe someone should use the shoes to fly up to the top and have a look around.” 

“I’ll do it,” Quigley volunteered. “I can draw us up a quick map when I get there.” 

“We have a map,” Jackal pointed out. 

“Mine will have the army camp on it,” Quigley said, kicking off his own shoes as he slid Klaus’ over. 

“Are you sure about this?” Duncan asked his brother. 

“You don’t have to do this,” Violet told him. 

Quigley smiled, tying the shoelaces. He stood up. “I’ll be back before you can say, ‘damn, I’m with the wrong triplet,’” he promised with a wink. 

“Be careful,” Isadora called as Quigley kicked the shoes together, making them flutter their wings. “You might be an asshole, but you’re our asshole.” 

“To infinity!” Quigley cried as he leapt into the air. The shoes’ wings started flapping together rapidly, propelling Quigley through the air much faster than he was expecting. With a scream, he started to topple forward and the footwear responded, sending him directly into the waterfall. He smacked into the glaze and then dropped like a stone back onto the ice where the others stood waiting. 

“Well shit, that was fast,” Isadora commented with a cackle. 

“Ow,” Quigley groaned, struggling to push himself into a sitting position. Duncan leaned down and helped his brother up. Quigley leaned against him while he peeled off the shoes. “Here you go,” he said, handing the shoes back over to Klaus.

Klaus regarded the shoes with an exasperated look, noting the badly-bent left wing on one of them. “Gee, thanks Quigley.” 

“Any time,” Quigley replied with a wince. 

“Are you okay?” Violet asked, giving the boy a look to let him know she wanted a serious response. 

He nodded. “I’m definitely going to have a couple bruises, but other than that I’m fine,” he assured her. 

“Good,” she said, unsheathing her swords. “If we’re all done wasting time--” 

“Violet--” 

“Klaus, we agreed our best bet was to get to the top of that waterfall,” Violet said. “I’m sorry Quigley fucked up your shoes, but you can’t stop me from doing this. I promised Mom and Dad that I’d keep you and Sunny safe, and right now I’m breaking that promise. Every minute she’s in Count Olaf’s clutches is just another minute that I fail them. I have to get us to that camp, so we can get Sunny back. I have to.” 

Klaus put his hands up in surrender. “I was just going to tell you to be careful.” 

Violet nodded, steeling herself as she regarded the frozen waterfall ahead of her. It would be just like Mount Fraught, only this one was a lot smaller….and she didn’t have anything to help her feet stick into the ice, and she was going up alone this time, and Sunny wasn’t waiting for her at the top. Still, it would be fine. It would have to be. Sunny needed her, whether she would admit it now or not. She sucked in a breath, took a running start, and jumped as high as she could, stabbing the longsword into the ice at the height of her leap. She reached her left arm up as high as she could and stabbed the shortsword into the ice. The blades held her weight, so so far so good. She tried planting her feet on the ice, but to no avail. They kept sliding around, which didn’t exactly surprise her. It just made things a little more difficult. She could handle it though. She yanked the longsword out of the ice, clinging tight to the shortsword for a moment before cautiously lifting her right arm up above her head and thrusting as hard as she dared. It was very slow going, but eventually she’d made it about halfway up. 

“How are you doing up there?” she heard Isadora’s voice call from below. 

“Peachy!” she yelled down. “Can’t really talk though, trying to climb!” 

There was silence after that, the only sound coming from the wind that pelted her in the face with snowflakes as she stabbed her swords into the ice over and over again. Then Klaus cried out, “Violet!” 

“Fucking, what now?” Violet muttered to herself before turning her head slightly down and shouting, “What?” 

She got her answer when a rumble split the air, shaking the ice slightly. She looked above her and almost lost her grip out of pure shock at what she was seeing. A great yellow reptile raced across the sky, sending a heatwave blasting into her. The creature landed on the peak, causing the ice to groan under its weight, and Violet finally got a good look at the thing. What she had at first thought to be a dragon actually had two identical heads, small bolts of lightning zapping from the mouth of the smaller one, leading Violet to believe that it was actually a hydra she was dealing with. Both its heads had slitted green eyes and pasty white snouts, and they both looked down at her and let out equally angry roars. 

“Violet!” she heard someone shriek from below, but there was nothing she could do. She was stuck dangling halfway up the waterfall. If she kept climbing, she was sure the hydra would eat her, but if she tried to climb down she wouldn’t make it very far before the beast struck and if she let go now she would surely die on impact. She was-- to put it bluntly-- fucked. 

The larger of the two heads hissed, steam billowing from between its scaly lips. Violet shuddered, hanging from her only two weapons, which were both still stuck in the ice. Suddenly the hydra stomped a foot, and the entire waterfall shook. Violet yelped, swinging wildly around. The hydra stomped again and again, and Violet closed her eyes so she wouldn’t look down as she fell. After a minute the stomping ceased, and when Violet dared to take a peek the hydra’s heads were peering at her with two puzzled expressions. They both seemed genuinely perplexed that she hadn’t fallen to her death yet. 

_ That makes two of us,  _ Violet thought.  _ Or rather, three of us, I suppose. _

The hydra’s two white-faced heads turned all four narrowed eyes at her and the larger head let out another angry roar. Before she could even think to react or form any kind of a plan, the hydra reared up on its hind legs and the smaller head ejected a large bolt of lightning down at the frozen river. 

“No, no, no,  _ fuck!”  _ Violet whimpered, feeling the ice shudder beneath her. A crack split across the glaze, running the entire length of the falls. She heard someone below her scream, and she hoped they all had the sense to move out of the fucking way and get off the ice because there was absolutely no way this was going to end well. Suddenly the ice settled itself, and Violet let out a sigh of relief. Nothing major had happened. She was safe.

And then the ice broke. 


	12. Arriving At Camp

Somebody screamed, and Quigley wasn’t sure if the sound had come from himself, his sister, or from Klaus. All he knew was that watching the hydra breathe lightning over Violet was _the_ scariest thing he’d ever seen. 

“We need to get off of the ice!” Duncan yelled, shoving Klaus ahead of him. “Now!” 

“He’s right!” Jackal panted, headbutting the back of Quigley’s legs. “We need to move!” 

Quigley obeyed, beginning to run when out of the corner of his eye he saw Isadora move towards the waterfall. “Izzy!” he yelled, racing over to grab her. He wrapped his arms around her torso, holding tight despite how hard she struggled to get away. 

“We can’t just leave her there, we have to help her!” Isadora screamed, trying desperately to scramble out of her brother’s reach. “Quigley, I can’t--” 

“I know,” he told her, feeling his heart break. “ _I know._ But there’s nothing we can do for her. Right now we have to worry about ourselves.” 

Just as he finished speaking, a large crack appeared, splitting apart the ice. Isadora gasped and took Quigley’s hand, and together the two booked it across the frozen river to where the others stood waiting, watching with horrified expressions as all at once the ice came apart, and water rained down from the falls. 

“VIOLET!” Klaus cried, his voice breaking as sobs wracked his body. Large chunks of ice that had fallen from the top of the waterfall had broken the ice coating the river, enough that the waters were now churning rapidly. The hydra had taken once more to the skies, letting out a satisfied roar as it circled its way through the clouds. Even if Violet had somehow survived the fall, with the way the river swirled and roared there was no way she wouldn’t drown. And if by some miracle she found a way to stay afloat, with the hydra nearby it was very likely it would see her in the waters and swoop down at her from above, eating her in a single gulp before any of them had any kind of a chance to rescue her from the river. Quigley felt the breath leave his body as he stared at the death-trap before him, and he couldn’t stop the tears that trailed down his face.

“I’m sorry,” Olivia whined, “but we really need to take cover. If that hydra sees us--” 

“We’ll all die,” Jackal finished. “Everyone, get under those rocks. Hurry!” 

Quigley obeyed, holding tight to his sister’s hand as Duncan and Beatrice worked to pull Klaus to his feet, helping the Baudelaire boy to safety. Together, the five children huddled together with their canine escorts, hoping against hope that they wouldn’t be spotted by the vicious hydra in the sky. Really _not_ a situation Quigley would have ever guessed he’d find himself in, but ever since he’d been shoved into a secret passageway he hadn’t previously known existed underneath his own house, he’d kind of learned to expect the unexpected. 

“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Klaus whimpered, curled up in a ball in the grass. “One of the last things I said to her was that this was all her fault. She must’ve thought I was mad at her, th-that I hated her.” 

“She didn’t think that,” Duncan soothed, pulling the boy into his lap. “She knew you cared. She’s… She was an incredible person.” 

“And a brilliant inventor,” Klaus sniffed. 

“Very lovely,” Quigley said softly, a sad smile tugging at the corners of his lips suddenly as he remembered their climb up Mount Fraught, the determination in her eyes as she’d fought to save her sister, the serene look on her face as she’d gazed out over the valley as they’d perched on that ledge. “Very lovely indeed.” 

“Violet!” Isadora gasped, and Quigley instinctively moved to place a comforting arm around his sister. “VIOLET!” Before anyone could stop her, Isadora had leapt to her feet and tore across the embankment, heading for the rushing river. 

“Izzy, no!” Duncan yelped, gently removing Klaus from his lap before jumping to his feet. 

Quigley started after his sister, but then stopped as his eyes lighted on what she must have seen to make her run off like that. There in the waters was a girl who looked to be a couple years older than the triplets. She was fighting the currents, swerving all around as she dodged between the icebergs, being careful to keep out of sight of the hydra in the sky. And there, cradled in her arms, was-- 

“VIOLET!” Quigley cheered, his heart soaring as he dashed to the edge of the riverbank. He watched as the girl in the water held Violet’s head up above the water with one arm, the other tucked under her legs. Violet didn’t appear to be conscious, and Quigley’s heart sank once more as he watched the girl in the water carry her lifeless body through the river. As he looked on, the girl paused from her swimming as she gently tugged Violet’s chin back, treading water for a moment as she brought Violet’s head closer to her own and darted forward, capturing the young inventor’s lips with her own in a tender embrace. 

“What are you doing?” Isadora yelled angrily, lowering herself down to put one foot into the water. “Get off her!” 

The girl pulled away, and Violet’s head rolled as she coughed and spluttered, vomiting up water as she finally showed signs of life. Quigley gave his sister an amused look as she visibly sighed in relief, stepping back on dry land. “So just for future reference, if I ever find Violet in need of CPR again should I _not_ \--” 

“Shut up,” Isadora said, hiding her face so Quigley wouldn’t see her sheepish grin. “I didn’t know she was giving her first aid.” 

The girl in the water made her way to the bank, and it wasn’t until she was treading water right by them that Quigley could finally see that she was not a girl at all; she was, in fact, a mermaid. Her upper body, including her head and arms, were that of a teenage girl, but the skin of her lower torso gave way to silvery, reddish-brown scales. Where her feet should have been was a magnificent ruby-red fish tail, which was swishing beneath the waters of the river to keep herself afloat as she held Violet in her arms.

“Oh, my gosh, Violet!” Klaus said, a relieved laugh bubbling out through his lips as he and Beatrice reached the river bank. 

“You’re alive!” Beatrice shrieked. 

Klaus froze, catching sight of the mermaid holding his sister. His face had paled, and he looked very much as though he’d just seen a ghost. Which, Quigley supposed, it was possible he had. With the appearance of Jacquelyn the Jackal and Olivia Tailiban the fennec fox-- not to mention Count Olaf the fucking Fire Warlock-- it seemed as though they had found themselves in a parralel universe. Many people they knew to be dead in their world had recently arrived as healthy, living creatures in this one. It didn’t take a genius to see that the mermaid in the water was someone Klaus knew, despite him never having met any merfolk before. At least, Quigley assumed he hadn’t. He would honestly be very upset with Klaus if he ever found out that the Baudelaires _had_ seen merfolk before and then _not_ mentioned it ever.

“I’m sorry to have scared you,” the mermaid apologized to Isadora, a slight accent coating her words. “It’s just that the only way my healing powers work is through a kiss, and they don’t work if the creature I’m trying to help is already dead. I didn’t know how long I had and, well, it’s like my stepfather always said: ‘They that hesitate are lost.’”

“F-Fiona?” Klaus finally spoke.

The mermaid started, giving the boy a suspicious glance as she gently lay Violet down in the grass. “How do you know my name?” 

Klaus blushed. “Uh, I don’t. Just a lucky guess, I suppose.” 

“You suppose?” Fiona echoed, sounding very skeptical. 

“Can we discuss this some other time?” Isadora cut in, giving the two an annoyed glare. “Like maybe when there’s not a fucking _hydra_ flying over us?” 

“I’m with Her Majesty,” Jackal said. “We should find the camp first, then discuss the Human’s habits of dishonesty.” 

“I’m not--” Klaus began, but he forced himself to stop, looking at his big sister as she struggled to her feet, shivering and soaked to the bone. Quigley quickly offered her an arm up, and she accepted, coughing up a little more water as she did. Klaus sighed, and he nodded his head. “Yeah, okay, you’re absolutely right. Let’s just find the camp.” 

“Would you happen to be referring to King Snicket’s camp?” Fiona asked. 

Olivia nodded her head with enthusiasm. “Yes, that’s the one!” she yelped excitedly. “You wouldn’t happen to know where it is? We need to bring these Humans to see King Snicket right away. The three of them over there are _triplets._ ” 

“Triplets?” Fiona replied with a grin. “Well it’s a good thing you ran into me then. As it happens, I do know where the camp is. You’re actually just about on it. All you have to do is follow this river ‘til the bend, and then head South for about three or four miles. After that, you won’t be able to miss it.” 

“Thank you, Fiona,” Klaus grinned. “You might have just saved our lives!” 

“You are most welcome,” Fiona smiled. “Your Highness.” 

“Oh, I’m not--” 

“Klaus, let’s go!” Beatrice urged, grabbing his hand and tugging him along. “You can make goo-goo eyes at the pretty merperson later!” 

Klaus turned bright red, casting a worried look first at Duncan and then back at Fiona. “I-I wasn’t, I mean… I’m not interested in her. Not like that. Not that she’s unattractive, it’s just I like someone else--” 

“Klaus, just stop talking. You aren’t doing yourself any favors,” Violet said, not unkindly. 

Klaus sighed. “Yeah, I know.” 

“Farewell, brave climber,” Fiona called, giving Violet a wave from her spot in the river. “I wish you the luck of every world. I do worry that you all might need it.” 

Violet gave the mermaid a shy smile, offering her a quick wave before turning her head away so as to try to hide her blush. Quigley nudged her shoulder as they walked, wagging his eyebrows at her. “Are you into the mermaid now?” he asked. 

“Don’t be silly,” Violet replied, her blush deepening. “I mean, like Klaus said, she is very attractive. But I also really like Isadora, and we both think there’s something there. Something worth figuring out.” 

Quigley nodded, giving her a suspicious look. “Then why is your face all red?” Violet ducked her head, looking embarrassed as she mumbled something too softly for Quigley to hear. “I’m sorry,” Quigey apologized, not sorry at all, “but I didn’t quite catch that.” 

Violet bit her bottom lip and forced herself to meet the boy’s eyes. “That was my first kiss,” she repeated, louder this time. 

Too loud, apparently, because Beatrice started giggling and Duncan let out a snort. Klaus, meanwhile, looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face while Isadora made a kind of squeak that Quigley was definitely going to make fun of her for later. Violet gave Quigley a glare before lowering her gaze once more to the ground, and Quigley could tell she wasn’t likely to look up again any time soon. 

“Shit,” Klaus said, shaking his head a little. “What are the odds we’d both have our first kiss with the same girl?” 

Duncan coughed. “Uh, what?” 

It was Klaus’ turn to blush as he turned to the oldest Quagmire triplet. “Oh, after we lost Quigley in the Stricken Stream, we were picked up by the _Queequeg_ , a submarine captained by Fiona Widdershins. That mermaid back in the river is her doppleganger. Anyway, she took a bit of a liking to me, and right before we parted ways she, um, kind of kissed me.” 

“Oh,” Duncan replied. Quigley shot him a sympathetic look, knowing that despite his deadpan expression, his brother was quite upset to hear that his crush had kissed someone during their time apart. 

Violet looked between the two boys. “You should have seen the way he looked,” she said to Duncan, a smirk on her lips. “He was so confused and panicked. If I hadn’t known he wasn’t interested in girls before, his reaction towards Fiona definitely clued me in.” 

Quigley gave her a grateful smile as Duncan visibly relaxed. Klaus looked over at his sister, and he rolled his eyes at her in mock exasperation. Violet shook her head, her smirk still firmly in place. All of a sudden Klaus’ lower lip started trembling and he rushed over to his sister, wrapping his arms around her as he burst into tears. Violet looked extremely worried as she hurriedly returned the embrace, holding tight to the boy as he buried his face in her shoulder. 

“I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, trembling in her arms. “It’s not your fault, none of this is your fault. I love you, and I really appreciate everything you do for us. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Violet, I--” 

“Hey, Klaus, hey, it’s okay, I’m alright,” Violet soothed. “I’m okay, I’m right here. I promise, even if something were to happen to me, you'd be okay. You’re so smart, Klaus, and I really appreciate everything you do for us. You’re okay.” 

“I’m not,” Klaus sniffed. “I almost lost you. I would have, if it weren’t for Fiona. If she hadn’t kissed you, you’d be dead, Violet. You’d be _dead._ ” 

“Pfft, it’s gonna take more than a hydra to kill me,” Violet joked, mussing Klaus’ hair. Her expression grew more somber as she took in her brother’s anguished appearance.

“Hey, I’m really sorry all that happened. I promise to try to be more careful from now on. Okay?” 

“Okay,” Klaus nodded, at last seeming to calm down a little. 

“Y’know, we’re all gonna hold you to that,” Quigley told her, managing a small smile. “You scared the shit out of us.” 

“Yeah, we love you, dipshit,” Beatrice added, wrapping her arms around her two older siblings. 

“Bea, language,” Klaus scolded with a sniffle. 

“Yeah don’t fucking say things like ‘dipshit,’” Violet said with a wink. “It’s not good for you.” 

“Fuck off,” Klaus laughed, before turning to look at Beatrice. “That’s a bad example. Just, do as I say and not as I do.” 

“Actions speak louder than words,” Beatrice replied, placing a hand on her hip. 

Quigley smiled, watching everyone. He couldn’t help but feel that Klaus was right, though. They had come way too close to losing Violet. Just then a roar split the sky, making everybody jump. Electricity crackled just before a bolt of lightning struck one of the trees lining the riverbank right behind them. 

“Run!” Olivia yelped, and the children all took off. 

The hydra shrieked from above, and Quigley trembled from head to toe as they ran. They were almost at the bend, but after that they still had three or four miles to go. With the monster in the sky, Quigley was beginning to think they wouldn’t make it. The hydra swooped out of the sky, and the head on the left darted forward to snap at Duncan. The oldest Quagmire triplet managed to leap back in time to avoid its teeth, but then the larger head unhinged its jaw, letting a thick cloud of smoke billow out of its mouth. 

“Don’t breathe it in!” Jackal warned, jumping over to Duncan to stand between him and the hydra. “The smoke is toxic!” 

The smaller of the heads let out an angry roar, and sparks of electricity crackled in its throat. Its sight was locked onto Violet and Isadora, who stood together holding tight to one another as Isadora raised up her shield. Quigley didn’t think a shield would be much use against a bolt of lightning, but in the next half of a second they were going to find out the hard way if someone didn’t do something. Before he could give any kind of thought about the consequences of angering a giant monster, Quigley swung his bow off his shoulder and notched an arrow. He took in a quick breath, forcing himself to picture his arrow sailing directly at his target. Right as the smaller head opened its mouth to strike, Quigley released the string. The arrow stuck somewhere inside the creature’s throat, and the hydra head wailed in pain. The larger head whirled around to give Quigley a glare, and the beast took a menacing step towards the young cartographer. Quigley stumbled back, grabbing a second arrow in his shaky hands as the monster roared and began to charge. He shot at the beast, but the hydra ducked and remained unharmed. 

“Hey!” Duncan yelled, and launched his spear. Both hydra heads shrieked in pain as the shaft sunk into its chest. They turned to face Duncan, both heads seething in pain. 

“No!” Isadora cried, slicing her khopesh against the creature’s leg. Violet was right beside her, and she used both blades as she sliced the back of the hydra’s knee with one and stabbed deep into its thigh with the other. The hydra gave another wounded cry and its legs buckled. 

“Get across the river, now!” Jackal commanded, and the kids instantly obeyed. The river was covered in a thick coat of ice at the middle of the bend, and they all headed there so they could run straight across. The hydra still kneeled in the grass when Quigley turned to look behind him, and he breathed a quick sigh of relief as they hurried away. He knew they hadn’t hurt it enough to kill it though, and that it would probably be back before too long. For now it was enough to be able to run away from it, and to hope that the next time they encountered it they would have a bit more protection against it. 

“It shouldn’t be much further,” Olivia panted encouragingly, and indeed she was not wrong. It was perhaps an hour or two later that they reached a valley path, and from the top of the ridge to their right was a midnight blue and silver banner swaying proudly in the breeze. A silver wolf head was emblazoned on the center, and between Isadora’s shield and the pommels on Violet’s swords, Quigley was beginning to notice a pattern. 

“King Snicket is a shapeshifter,” Jackal informed him, noticing the boy’s gaze. “His other form is that of the Great Wolf.” 

“Oh,” Quigley replied, trying to keep his cool as though that wasn’t the most awesome thing anyone had said about King Snicket so far. 

The ground beneath them turned suddenly from dried, dead grass to fields of vivid green, and the trees around them bloomed thick and full with all the autumn colors. As they passed under a stone arch way, the pink blossoms of a cherry blossom tree suddenly swarmed in front of them, materializing until they formed into the shape of a young girl, one who was very recognizable. 

“Greetings, Humans and companions,” the wood nymph greeted them with a smile. “Welcome to King Snicket’s camp. My name is Carmelita.” 

“How do you do, Carmelita?” Olivia responded politely. 

“Can you take us to King Snicket?” Jackal asked. “I’m afraid it’s rather urgent.” 

“I cannot,” Carmelita said. “I must stay here and guard the perimeter. You may, however, find him in his tent. It’s at the very center of camp. The large silver and blue one. You won’t miss it.” 

Jackal nodded her thanks, and the six children continued on their way. The walk through the camp was nerve-wracking. There were so many soldiers, centaurs and satyrs and wendigos and griffins, all mingling around with seemingly normal animals like dogs and big cats and horses. Quigley spotted a few bearded dwarves and slender elves trailing about, as well as gorillas and hippos. It was quite the mix, though the most unusual part of all was the way they all stared as the children walked past. Each squadron they came upon ceased talking immediately, turning stunned gazes to ogle the kids as they made their way to King Snicket’s tent. 

At last they arrived at the entrance, and just as they did so the tent flap rippled as though its inhabitant was about to emerge. Jackal and Olivia halted immediately, joining the rest of the camp as they all dropped to their knees in a low, respectful bow. The Quagmires and the Baudelaires instantly followed suit, kneeling in the grass as a large paw appeared. The rest of the Wolf followed after, and Quigley sucked in a breath of awe. He was much larger than a regular wolf, probably four times as large. He had a thick, fluffy mane surrounding his furry face, and his body was lean and muscled. He turned gleaming forest-green eyes upon the children, a wolfish grin on his face as he gave them an approving nod. 

“Welcome Duncan, Isadora, and Quigley Quagmire,” he greeted, looking at them each in turn with a warm smile. “And welcome Violet, Klaus, and Beatrice Baudelaire. Jacquelyn and Olivia, it is very good to see you. You have my thanks for bringing the triplets and their companions this far. Though, forgive me. Was there not a fourth Baudelaire?” 

“There is,” Violet spoke, turning a pleading expression to King Snicket. “Our sister, Sunny. Your Highness, she’s been taken by Count Olaf.” 

“Taken?” King Snicket repeated, sounding concerned. “How can this be?” 

Jackal and Olivia exchanged looks. “Sh-she betrayed them, Your Majesty.” 

“Then she has betrayed us all!” a voice boomed from the crowd. 

“Peace, my brave volunteer,” King Snicket commanded. “I’m sure there’s an explanation.” 

Violet sighed, looking close to tears. “It’s my fault, Your Majesty,” she told him. “I was too hard on her. I-I drove her away.” 

Klaus put a comforting hand on his sister’s shoulder. “We all could have done better by her,” he confessed. 

“But, Your Highness, she’s our sister,” Beatrice added, looking at King Snicket with a heartbroken expression. 

“I know, little one,” King Snicket sighed. “It only makes the betrayal all the worse.” 

“Isn’t there anything we can do for her?” Quigley implored. 

King Snicket regarded the boy for a moment. “Volunteers,” he addressed the crowd. “As you were.” The Wolf turned back to Quigley as the army dispersed. “Quagmires, come with me please. I’d like to have a word with you three.” 

Quigley shot the Baudelaires a hopeful look before staggering to his feet and following after the Wolf, his siblings close behind him. King Snicket took them to a ledge overlooking the camp. In the distance they could see a large mountain rising out over the ocean, and built into the stone gleamed a beautiful castle made with white marble. The Quagmires looked at it, watching as the golden hour seemingly set fire to all of Narnia with its eerie aurum rays. 

“That’s Care Paravel,” King Snicket told them, nodding his head at the castle. “A phrase which here means 'The House of the Kings and Queens of Narnia.' Inside its walls are three thrones, waiting to be claimed by the three heroes of Narnia.” 

“It’s lovely,” Duncan confessed. 

“It’s empty,” King Snicket replied. “But not for long.” 

Duncan frowned, and he forced his gaze to the Wolf. “Sir, what if we’re not the triplets from the prophecy?” he asked. 

“How do you mean?” King Snicket asked. 

“What if we fail?” Quigley clarified, feeling a similar worry. 

King Snicket eyed the triplets, and his gaze softened. “Sunny Baudelaire’s decision was not the result of any actions on your part,” he said gently. 

“But we still failed her,” Isadora pointed out. “We still put our family in danger.” 

“Trust me when I say I understand the feeling,” King Snicket sighed. “I, too, wish only to keep my family safe.” 

“It’s going to be hard,” Quigley mumbled, thinking of all the wretched things Count Olaf and the firestarters had done back on his earth, and that was without magic. Here, it was beginning to feel like anything was possible, which was both promising and dooming. 

“I will do what I can for Sunny Baudelaire,” King Snicket assured them. “But in return, I need you three to consider what I ask of you.” 

The Quagmires all looked at each other, before nodding their heads in agreement. Now that they had reached the camp and seen the army, it all felt much more real to Quigley. A war was coming, and they needed to do whatever was necessary to be prepared. He cast a determined look to the Wolf. “Whatever you need us to do,” he promised.


	13. Of Knights and Archers

Klaus sighed, setting down the trunk beside the stream. Some of the elves, having a more human shape than the other soldiers, had been kind enough to round up some extra clothing for the children. Violet had been led away by a centaur who had promised to teach her proper sword fighting techniques, and the Quagmires were still off chatting with King Snicket, so it was just him and Beatrice left to sort through the clothes. He was hopeful at first, until he pushed open the lid to find that it was mostly just dresses, ethereal and beautiful though they were. He held one up, a white one with silver glitter, with an extra bit of fabric in the back that gave it the appearance of having wings. 

Beatrice eyed it thoughtfully. “It’s awfully gorgeous,” she commented. 

“Mom used to have a dress like this,” Klaus told her, a small smile on his face. “She used to be a singer, performing at operas in front of adoring crowds. She was fearless.” 

Beatrice nodded, and dug around until she pulled out a green and gold gown. She smirked, holding it up to her brother. “This would really bring out the gold in your eyes,” she commented. 

Klaus took the dress from her, shaking his head at the girl. “Don’t think I won’t do it.” 

“Bet!” Beatrice said, laughing. 

Klaus shrugged, slipping the gown on over his pajamas. “Plenty of boys enjoy wearing dresses,” he explained, giving a little twirl. “Just because society decided to label dresses as ‘feminine’ doesn’t mean boys can’t wear them. In fact, there were several times throughout history in which the men wore skirts and the women wore pants. Public opinion is constantly changing, which is why individuals should never be pressured by it, especially when it comes to one’s own appearance.” 

Beatrice giggled. “We should bring some of these back with us,” she decided. 

“Yeah,” Klaus sighed. “If we ever get back.” 

He instantly felt bad, watching Beatrice’s smile drop as her expression grew more somber. She began to pick through the clothes in silence, a slight frown on her face. 

“I’m sorry I’m like that,” Klaus apologized. “I’m just really worried.” 

“So am I,” Beatrice confessed. “But at least we’re with King Snicket. All the Narnians we’ve run into seem to trust him. They seem sure that he’ll know what to do.” 

“You’re right,” Klaus said, deciding against adding in the fact that the Wolf had seemed very conflicted after Jackal had told him about Sunny’s betrayal. He was trying to console her, after all, and he figured pointing out King Snicket’s wary expression was not the way to go about that. 

“Do you ever miss the Island?” Beatrice asked suddenly. 

Klaus thought about it. “We were certainly safer there,” he said. “It was easier to have fun when we weren’t so stressed. At least, I thought it was fun.” 

“We did used to have fun,” Beatrice assured him. “But then you got all worrisome and boring.” 

“Oh, I’m boring, am I?” Klaus asked, a mischievous grin on his face as he discreetly stepped closer to the stream. 

Beatrice nodded. “Yup,” she teased. 

“Hmm,” Klaus mused, before he flung a scoopful of ice cold water at her. “How about now?” 

Beatrice shrieked as the icy water splashed against her face. She dove instantly into the stream, and retaliated with a double-handed splash back at Klaus. He joined her, using his leg to kick up a considerable wave at her, and in return she tackled him into the stream. They spent the next several minutes shrieking as they flung the icy stream water at each other. It wasn’t long before the two were soaked to the bone, laughing but beginning to shiver in the cold twilight air. 

“Truce!” Klaus pleaded, and Beatrice allowed him to get to his feet. He had to push down the skirt of his dress, as the water had made it stick around his thighs, and he made his way over to a towel that hung from a low branch of an oak tree. As he gave it a tug, a roar startled him back as an enemy soldier was revealed. Beatrice screamed.

“Don’t run,” the bear snarled. “We’re tired, and we’d prefer to kill you quickly.” 

Klaus threw the towel at the bear and he grabbed Beatrice’s hand, pulling her back as he turned to head to the middle of camp. He hadn’t made it more than a step before the other bears emerged snarling from the shadows. Quick as a flash, Klaus kicked off his shoes and threw on the flying pair. The left one’s wing was still bent, but he had to hope it would work well enough to get them over the wall of bears. “Hold onto me,” he instructed Beatrice, picking her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. Klaus jumped into the air, and the wings of his shoes flapped rapidly. It wasn’t enough to get them to safety, but it was enough to get them into the higher branches of the oak tree. “Climb!” 

“Okay,” Beatrice obeyed, unwrapping herself from her brother to climb higher into the branches. 

Klaus gave her a boost before following after, his heart pounding inside his chest. The bears down below let out a roar and began to dig their claws into the bark, trying to climb up after them. A few of the larger ones were jumping straight up, their jaws snapping dangerously close to the Baudelaires’ ankles. Klaus reached to pull himself up onto a higher branch, but it snapped in his grasp and sent him ever closer to the gathered bears on the ground. 

“Gotcha!” the scarred bear bellowed, slicing a claw against Klaus’ calf. 

Klaus screamed and tried to scramble back up the tree, but his bleeding leg hurt to move and he couldn’t quite manage to lift it over the branch. He wouldn’t last long up in the tree. He needed help, or a weapon, or someone with a weapon to help them. Luckily, he had a way to get that. Holding tight to the tree with one arm, Klaus dug through his bag with the other until his hands wrapped around an ivory hunting horn. Larry-the-Elf had promised that if he ever needed help, he only had to sound the horn and he would be saved. He brought it to his lips, praying that was true as he blew three long breaths into it, sending out three loud blares. 

The bears chuckled down below. “Is that all you’ve got?” the leader jeered. “You’ll be nothing but cold cuts by the time anyone arrives.” 

“Just fuck off already!” Klaus yelled down.

The bear shook his head, a vicious sneer on his face as he tensed his muscles in preparation to jump. Just when Klaus thought for sure that he was done for, two of the other bears let out yelps of pain, and they dropped dead and bleeding to the grass. “Get back!” Violet snarled, wielding her swords. 

Three of the bears actually listened, but the leader stayed put, growling low in his throat as he began to circle the young inventor. “You’re outnumbered, girl!” he snarled, and his three companions hesitantly rejoined him, all four now swarming Violet. 

“Violet, look out!” Beatrice called as one of them darted forward, snapping at the eldest Baudelaire. Violet sliced her longsword at it, giving it a significant cut across the shoulder and it staggered back, growling at her. Violet kept her swords out, keeping the bears at bay, but Klaus knew she couldn’t fend them off forever. 

“This isn’t your fight,” the commander bear told her. “All my King wants is for you and those pesky triplets to go.” 

“And to forget about Sunny while we’re at it?” Violet spat, and the bear chuckled. 

“The traitor belongs with the King,” he said. 

“She belongs with her family!” Violet insisted, and she thrust the longsword just as one of the other bears launched himself at her, and she skewered him through the chest. She wrenched the blade back out and aimed the bloodied tip at the leader. 

“Now!” the bear bellowed to his other two companions, and all three threw themselves at her at once. 

“No!” Beatrice screamed as Violet was lost from sight amidst the three brutish bears. 

“Violet!” Klaus cried, and right at that moment there was a thundering of footsteps as two centaurs, a cheetah, a rhino, and the Wolf all burst into the clearing. The bear that had been sliced by Violet’s longsword scrambled back, giving an alarmed squeal as it tried to get away. It was instantly pinned by the rhino, and one of the centaurs raised a sword to kill it. 

“Wait!” the Wolf commanded, and the centaur stilled its blade. “Not yet!” 

The two bears at the base of the tree were still, and a large pool of blood soaked the grass around them. “No, Violet!” Klaus whimpered, jumping to the ground. He shoved at the scarred bear, trying to roll it off of his sister. It took a great deal of effort, but eventually he managed to move the dead bear away. There, lying beneath it and covered in blood, was Violet, and for a moment Klaus felt his heart stop. Then she groaned, and tried to wriggle away and Klaus laughed in relief as he grabbed her arm to help pull her to her feet. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I don’t think they got me,” she murmured, trying to wipe the blood off her face but only managing to smear it around, making it worse. She noticed her brother staring, and she gave him a smile. “Nice dress.” 

“Godammit!” Klaus huffed. “Stop fucking doing that!” 

“What, saving you or complimenting you on your choice of outfit?” Violet joked. 

“Making me think you’re dead!” Klaus snapped, giving her a hug. “It’s getting old.” 

“Please, let me go!” the bear whined from underneath the rhino’s hoof. 

“Why the fuck would we do that?” Klaus demanded, reaching up to help Beatrice down from the tree. She instantly pressed herself against Violet, holding tight to her older sister. 

The Wolf looked over at the rhino. “Let him go,” he commanded. 

“What?” Klaus yelped as the rhino removed his foot, letting the bear scramble to his paws and tear off away from camp. 

After a moment, the Wolf nudged his head towards the bear. “Follow him. He’ll lead you to Sunny Baudelaire.” The centaurs nodded their understanding, and the savannah animals followed after them as the quadron raced after the bear on their way to rescue Sunny. 

“Thank you,” Violet said, smiling at the Wolf. 

He gave her a kind smile. “Clean yourself off in the stream, and do not forget your weapons.” 

Violet pulled her swords out of the two dead bears, and she made her way down to the stream. She wiped the blood off her blades before sheathing them and scrubbing the blood and fur off her face and arms. When she was finished, Klaus pointed to the trunk of clothing. “There should be something in there that will fit.” 

“Thanks, Klaus,” she grinned, and she dug around for a minute before removing something that instantly made Klaus scoff. 

“Of course she finds the only fucking armor pantsuit in the chest,” Klaus muttered, making Beatrice snicker beside him. 

“Oh!” the youngest Baudelaire exclaimed, and she pulled out a tiny green bottle from her pocket. She tugged the stopper off and handed it to Klaus. “Here. Just take a drop. It’ll heal your leg.” 

Klaus nodded his thanks, and he carefully positioned the bottle so that only one drop would spill onto his tongue. When the silver liquid touched his lips, he was filled with a warm, pleasant feeling. It was hard to explain the taste of the potion. He could only describe it as tasting a drop of safety and good health. It was an admittedly unorthodox elucidation for a tonic, and yet Klaus felt it was very apt for this particular one. He stretched his leg, and he noticed that it instantly felt better. When he inspected it, he found no trace of scarring or any kind of scratch on his skin. The elixir had done its job, and it had done it spectacularly. “Thank you, Bea,” Klaus acknowledged, passing the bottle back to its rightful owner.

When Violet returned from behind the tree, clad in a leather armor ensemble, the Wolf gestured for her to kneel before him. Violet obeyed, and at King Snicket’s instruction she took out her longsword and stabbed it into the ground, leaning onto the hilt as she kneeled before the king. King Snicket lifted an enormous paw, placing it first on one shoulder and then the other. “Rise,” King Snicket instructed, and Violet stood, “Sir Violet Bearsbane, the first Human knight of Narnia.” 

“Whoo!” Beatrice cheered. Klaus joined her in clapping as Violet sheathed her sword, grinning from ear to ear. 

“If you’ll follow me, I can find you some proper clothes,” King Snicket offered, casting a glance over at Klaus and Beatrice. 

“Dresses  _ are _ proper clothes,” Klaus replied. He cleared his throat. “Although I would like some pants.” 

The Wolf smiled. “I can also find you a weapon, and someone to train you with it.” 

“I’d appreciate that,” Klaus grinned, walking after King Snicket as he led the boy through the camp. 

“You are a very brave boy,” the Wolf told him as they went. “Has anyone told you?” 

“I mean, my sister has,” Klaus shrugged. “So have the Quagmires, from time to time. But not a whole lot. I mean, I’m hardly the bravest one in our family.” 

“Bravery is not the only admirable trait sought after by noble people,” King Snicket replied. “If young Duncan is to be believed, you are quite a noble person indeed.” 

Klaus blushed. “Duncan t-told you about me?” 

“Oh yes,” King Snicket nodded. “He cares for you very much. So much, in fact, that I wonder if we oughtn't begin giving you lessons in Narnian roles of royalty. I get the very strong sense that after the Quagmire triplets receive their crowns you and your siblings will be spending a considerable amount of time in the courts.” 

“Oh, I’m only fifteen,” Klaus told the Wolf, his blush having jumped to peak redness. “On our earth, you only become royalty through coronation or marriage, and fifteen year olds hardly ever marry. Usually people wait until their twenties, at least, and a lot of people wait even longer than that before making such a commitment.” 

“How odd,” King Snicket mused. “Here, when love shows itself we join together immediately. There’s so much that can go wrong in life, if you’ve found your soulmate why bother spending another day apart that you could be together?” 

Klaus thought about it. “Humans are cautious,” he said finally. “We worry that we’ll make a mistake, that the person we think we love isn’t actually our soulmate. We like to be sure.” 

“A wise approach, I’m sure,” King Snicket said kindly. Klaus wasn’t so sure. He thought about Duncan, and all the missed opportunities with him. He thought about how the other two Quagmire triplets teased him, and how sure they seemed that Duncan had those feelings for Klaus. He thought about how willing Duncan had been to help them, back at Prufrock Prep, and even now, when Count Olaf had taken Sunny in this strange, unfamiliar world and he thought about Duncan had not hesitated before insisting that he would help get Sunny back. He thought perhaps caution was unnecessary for them, and that it was only keeping them apart at this point. Maybe a bit of bravery in the matter would prove more beneficial. “Ah, here we are. The stables has such an array of weaponry to choose from, and I think a steed would be a fine addition to your technique, Klaus.” 

“M-my technique?” Klaus asked, taken aback a bit. 

“Your fighting style,” King Snicket clarified. “You use speed and wit rather than brawn and force. A stallion would add speed, as they tend to be much faster than Humans. Perhaps a bow? Or would you prefer a sword? We also have a mace, I believe, and some spears if you’d like.” 

“I have no idea,” Klaus confessed. “I’ve never had to use a weapon before.” 

The Wolf gave him a reassuring smile. “We’ll find something for you,” he promised. “In the meantime, perhaps we’ll simply get you acquainted with one of our soldiers. I think Coal here could be of assistance.” 

“Coal?” Klaus asked, confused as to why a flammable rock would be of particular importance to him at the moment. Just then a war horse trotted up to them, its ebony coat gleaming as it bowed low before the Wolf. 

“Your Majesty,” the horse whinnied. He turned to face Klaus. “You must be one of the triplets!” 

“No, actually, my name is Klaus Baudelaire,” Klaus corrected. “I’m a friend of the Quagmires.” 

“Oh, thank god,” Coal breathed. King Snicket cleared his throat, giving the horse a stern look. The horse looked from the Wolf back to Klaus. “Oh, no offence, young Human. It’s just that we need warriors to save us, and you seem too frail. I’m not trying to be rude, you seem very intelligent. Wisdom is a source of heroics in its own right, I’m sure you’d agree.” 

“Coal, I wondered if you could help us determine what kind of a soldier Klaus here would be,” King Snicket said, and Klaus felt his pulse quicken at being called a soldier. It was not a term he’d ever thought that would be used to describe himself, and hearing it was both entirely bizarre and strangely enticing. 

The war horse looked him up and down, murmuring to himself as he studied Klaus. He took a step forward and nuzzled Klaus’ chest, then his back, and then his rump. “Hey!” Klaus objected. 

Coal took a step back. “A bit scrawny for a footsoldier, though that could just as easily be due to age. From what our more scholarly satyrs were telling me, Humans don’t usually let their young enter a war until they’re 18 years of age. 18 years! Can you imagine? If horses did that, ugh, cavalry would be screwed--” 

“I can fight,” Klaus insisted, suddenly feeling defensive about the subject. 

“I never said you couldn’t,” Coal replied, completely unabashed. He looked thoughtful for a moment, still scrutinizing Klaus, though much less intrusively this time. Finally, he turned to the Wolf. “His best bet would be as an archer, I’d imagine. Train him on his aim, and he’ll be golden.” 

“Thank you, Coal,” King Snicket said, and the horse ducked out with another bow. The Wolf turned to Klaus with what appeared to be an enthusiastic smile. “Well, how about that?” 

“How about what?” Klaus asked, and King Snicket chuckled. 

“It seems we have another archer in our midst.” 


	14. Rescues and Reunions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I've been absent awhile. Sorry for the lengthy gap between chapters, but thank you to those still reading and I hope y'all enjoy this next segment!

“Fuck off!” Sunny snarled as the bald ogre forced her against a tree. 

“Stay still,” he chuckled, wrapping some rope around her waist and pulling it tight. “This will be much easier if you just play along.” 

“Fuck you!” Sunny replied, and when the bald ogre came back around with the rope she spit in his face. 

“What the fuck was that?” the bald ogre shrieked, wiping his face. He let out a growl. “Grrrrr,  _ Humans! _ Such vile creatures.” 

“I do hope the little brat isn’t too much trouble for you,” Count Olaf said in mock consternation as he walked up to the pair. 

The bald ogre instantly touched his head to the ground in a low bow. “Your Majesty. She’s no trouble. None at all. I’ll have her tied up in a jiffy.” 

“Fantastic,” Olaf remarked, sounding none too thrilled. “Good help is so hard to find, I’d hate to think you’d need replacing, especially at a time like this. I prefer to plan my battles  _ without _ having to worry about whether or not my prisoners are secured. Do you understand?” 

“Yes, Your Highness,” the bald ogre promised. “Of course!” 

“Hmm,” Count Olaf grunted, turning to give Sunny a glare. He allowed a small spark to flutter from his fingertips, becoming a tiny drop of fire that singed against Sunny’s cheek before it fizzled out. It made Sunny flinch, and Olaf cast a villainous smirk before stalking away to go terrorize some other part of his camp. 

“There,” the bald ogre muttered, tying Sunny’s hands behind the tree. “That should do it.” 

“You’re seriously just going to leave me here?” Sunny demanded when the bald ogre started to walk off. 

“Good point,” the bald ogre mused, and he stalked back over to her. With a startling jerk, the bald ogre tore off a piece of his shirt. He smashed it into a ball, and then he unceremoniously stuffed it in Sunny’s mouth, taking an extra bit of rope that he tied across her mouth to keep the cloth in place. “There. Can’t have you interrupting our battle plan meetings with your Human chatter.” 

Sunny let out an indignant, “hmmpf!” as he walked away, though of course he could not understand what she was saying because of the gag in her mouth. She sighed, a noise that was also muffled, and she tried to make herself comfortable against the tree. The good news was that they’d strapped her up in a sitting position, so at least she had that going for her. The bad news, of course, was that she was  _ tied to a fucking tree.  _ Sunny struggled for a minute against the bonds, but it became very clear very quickly that she would not be able to get away on her own. Either someone with free hands was going to have to untie her, or else she needed a very sharp blade that could cut right through the rope. Sunny leaned her head against the trunk, feeling defeated. It was unlikely that either option was going to happen for her. She was in for a long night. 

Or so she’d thought. 

All at once, there was a commotion at the perimeter of the camp. She couldn’t see anything, but she could hear several different noises all at once. Some high-pitched squeals that sounded like a dying animal, metallic clangs like metal against metal, some very low huffs that sounded a bit like grunts. Sunny rolled her eyes, assuming that once again a fight had broken out amongst Count Olaf’s soldiers. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence; the minotaurs all hated the hags, the furies didn’t like the dwarves, the mountain trolls were rivals with the forest trolls, and the harpies all had some long standing grudge with the goblins. It was ridiculous, and it resulted in ongoing chaos in the camp. This particular fight, however, proved to be different when a member of Olaf’s Secret Police came barreling through the camp, gushing blood from a nasty gash on his shoulder. 

“We’re under attack!” 

Sunny’s head whipped towards the voice that had come from the direction of the patrols. A few seconds later, a centaur rode through the camp, slashing and stabbing anybody who got in her way. She fought off the enemies so viciously, Sunny was in awe of her skill. She was so absorbed that she didn’t see the cheetah sneak up on her until it let out a frustrated growl as it ran its claws through the rope. Sunny let out a scream, and the cheetah pinned its ears to its head. 

“Shh!” he scolded. “Don’t draw attention to yourself, Miss Baudelaire. This is a rescue, and we’ve already blown the ‘stealth’ part of the operation!” 

“Oh, I-I’m sorry,” Sunny apologized as the cheetah moved his head forward and began to gnaw on the ropes, although it came out sounding closer to, “ah, mmm frrrrh.”

“Hurry!” the centaur called, holding off three attacking cyclopes. 

“I’m trying!” the cheetah mumbled around the ties. “This rope is too thick!” 

The centaur huffed, stomping a hoof. She shoved back against one of the cyclopes, and in that split second reprieve she tossed a dagger to the cheetah before returning her attention to the enemy monsters. “Use that!” she called, not even bothering to glance their way as she kicked one of her hooves up past the loincloth of one unlucky cyclops. 

The cheetah shot her an indignant look. “We don’t all have opposable thumbs! How am I supposed to use this thing?” 

“Figure. It. Out!” the centaur grunted in between swings of her swords. 

The cheetah let out a sigh, shaking his head. He came around and picked up the dagger in his mouth, holding his head awkwardly to the side as he glanced from the blade in his mouth to the ropes binding Sunny. “I apologize in advance,” he told her, his voice warped a bit by the dagger. With a quick jerk of his head, the cheetah slashed the blade through the ropes, slicing them off in one fluid motion. 

Sunny tumbled forward, just managing to throw her hands out in front of her before she ate dirt. She pushed herself to her feet, and she turned to face the cheetah as she removed the gag from her mouth. “Thank you,” she said. 

“Don’t thank us yet,” the cheetah snorted. “We still haven’t made it out of the camp.” 

The centaur shoved a blade through the eye of the last cyclops, and she sheathed her blades as she turned to them. “C’mere!” she instructed, lifting Sunny up and swinging her up onto her back. 

“I’ll get the others, and we’ll cover your escape,” the cheetah promised, darting off into the ruckus. 

“Hold on,” the centaur warned, and Sunny wrapped her arms tight around her neck. The centaur reared up on her equine hindquarters before bolting through Olaf’s camp so quickly it made Sunny’s head spin. As she watched, it almost appeared as though the ground were bending to the beat of the centaur’s hooves, folding in on itself so that the creature could cover more distance in less time. It made her dizzy, and she had to shut her eyes for fear of falling off as the half-horse galloped away at top speed. 

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Sunny mumbled. 

“You’d better hold that in,” the centaur commanded. “I know I didn’t get stuck snatching a traitor just to have her soil my hide.” 

Sunny clenched her jaw, using every ounce of willpower to keep her sloshing stomach under control. All at once, the centaur dug her hooves into the dirt as she came to a sudden stop and Sunny slid off her back, landing in the grassy field below. She finally let herself heave, and when she’d finished she sat up, feeling much better. It wasn’t until then that Sunny actually realized that the grass she was sitting on was green and soft, as opposed to the brittle, yellow stalks she’d grown accustomed to seeing in Narnia. In fact, the more she looked around the more color she saw in the entire valley, from the autumn leaves in the vibrant trees above to the pockets of wildflowers that dotted the area. She felt a pang of guilt as she eyed a clump of violets, their petals fluttering slightly in the soft breeze. She hadn’t heard anything from Count Olaf regarding her siblings safety. All she knew was that he had looked royally pissed off when his hydra had returned to him injured and empty-handed. She hoped that was a good thing. She really hoped everyone was okay. 

“Josephine!” a voice called, and Sunny’s jaw dropped as she watched a gigantic wolf approach. 

The centaur that had carried Sunny instantly dropped into a deep bow, and Sunny relaxed slightly. She couldn’t help but notice how the centaur bowed reflexively, a look of deep admiration in her eyes as she watched the Wolf draw near. It was so unlike the fear that shone in all of Olaf’s soldiers, so different from the panic that fueled their hurried bows whenever he or Esme walked by. “My King,” the centaur greeted the Wolf. 

“Josephine, where are the others?” the Wolf asked, looking concerned. 

“They’re on their way,” Josephine assured them. “Olaf had more guards posted than we’d anticipated, so they had to cover our escape. Ike will likely stay with them to make sure they make it back safely.” 

“Ike’s always been brave,” the Wolf smiled kindly. He turned, gazing at Sunny with an unreadable expression. “You must be Sunny Baudelaire.” 

Sunny nodded. “Yes, sir.” 

“Your siblings are worried about you,” he told her. 

“Are they, um, are they all, uh….” 

“Everyone made it to camp, and they are all fine,” the Wolf assured her. 

“Oh,” Sunny sighed, relief flooding her body. “Good.” 

The Wolf cleared his throat. “Josephine, perhaps you’d like to head into camp. We’ll be along shortly.” 

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Josephine said. She bowed again before turning and disappearing down the valley path. 

King Snicket returned his attention to Sunny, and she fiddled with her hands in her nervousness. She could tell a lecture was coming, and for some reason the feeling that she had already let the Wolf down before ever meeting him was almost more than she could bear. “I’m sorry,” she told him, hoping he could hear how genuine she was being. 

“You of course have my forgiveness, little one,” King Snicket promised, and Sunny relaxed slightly. The Wolf let out a weary sigh, giving her a sympathetic look. “I understand, you know. We all make mistakes, and the most important part of that experience is to recognize our wrongdoings so that we might move on from them. I am very glad to see that you have already reached that part of your journey.” 

“I let Esme trick me,” Sunny confessed, her eyes tearing up. “That centaur you sent to rescue me called me a traitor, and I’m worried she was right. I tried to trade my family for a crown, and I hate myself for that, but that’s not even the worst of it. Your Highness, I’m the one who told Olaf that you were gathering an army. I got Monty killed, and when the war begins there will be many more deaths, and they’ll all be my fault.” 

“You judge yourself too harshly,” King Snicket argued, shaking his head. “Wars are bloody affairs, always. My people know the risks, and they also know what they’re fighting for. Everyone you see in my camp is here of their own volition. What happens to them in the events to come has very little to do with you.” 

Sunny nodded, blinking back tears. “Thank you.” 

“I’m afraid I must follow that up with a warning, dear one,” the Wolf sighed. “While I can promise that the war itself is in no way your fault, I would be remiss in telling you your actions are completely without consequences. Everything we do leads to a cause-and-effect scenario. Something will come of your choices, and whatever it is it will not be good.” 

“I know,” Sunny said, her voice cracking. She swiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry.” 

“I will do what I can to keep you safe,” King Snicket promised. “Now, come along with me. Your family will be anxious to see that you are alright.” 

The Wolf gently nudged her forward, and Sunny followed him down the path. Her raced inside her chest as each step brought her closer to her siblings. She wanted to see them again, of course, but she also worried about how they would react. She remembered a time long ago, back when she was a toddler, and they had disguised themselves as concierges at a hotel. Olaf had been there, and he’d had them trapped, and they’d found out that two of the three judges on the High Court were Count Olaf’s associates. It had become clear that the hotel, which had then been called the last safe place, was no longer safe. Sunny had suggested burning down the hotel, and her siblings had looked horrified. Luckily for her, they had trusted her and went with it, and later she had been able to explain to them that the other arriving volunteers would see the smoke and know the hotel was no longer safe, and so her siblings had understood. This time, however, there was no explanation for her actions. Not a good one, anyway. Sunny worried this might be the last straw, the one thing that made them push her away and hate her for good. She worried things might not ever be the same. 

At last they arrived at the camp, and as soon as they passed the first tent Sunny heard a gasp and was then nearly thrown to the ground by a force that barreled into her. She felt a relieved smile cross her lips as she wrapped her arms around Beatrice, returning the enthusiastic embrace that the little girl had graced her with. “You’re alive!” Beatrice breathed, snuggling her head into Sunny’s shoulder. 

Sunny brushed a strand of hair out of Beatrice’s eyes, letting out a shaky breath. “I’m glad you’re okay.” 

“Sunny!” Klaus yelled, and Sunny turned to see him run from his spot near the stables, an ecstatic grin in place. Beatrice stepped back to let the two siblings embrace, and Klaus held his sister close as tears fell down his face. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Are you hurt?” 

“A bit shaken up,” Sunny told him. “I probably have a few more bruises, too, but other than that I’m alright.” 

Klaus nodded, smiling down at her. “Sunny.” 

The Wolf cleared his throat, and Sunny followed his gaze to see Violet standing a few steps back, watching her siblings with an unfathomable look on her face. King Snicket regarded her for a moment. “What’s done is done,” he said. “There is no need to speak to Sunny about what has past.” 

Violet nodded, her expression still deadpan as she walked the last few steps towards her family. The Wolf left, allowing the siblings their privacy as Violet reached her sister. “You look hungry,” she commented, eyeing Sunny’s dirty frame. 

“I could eat,” Sunny shrugged, matching Violet’s indifference. 

Violet sighed, and Sunny had only a second to register the tears well up in her sister’s eyes before Violet wrapped her arms around her and held her so tight that Sunny knew she would never be harmed again, so long as Violet was near. Both the girls shuddered as the emotional dams inside them broke, and they cried in each other's arms. “I was so fucking worried,” Violet sobbed. “I thought I’d never see you again, and all I wanted was to tell you how much I fucking love you.” 

“I’m sorry,” Sunny murmured. “I love you too.” 

Violet gave her a squeeze before letting her go, and she wiped the tears off of her face. “Let’s find you something to eat,” she said. “It’s a long way home from here.” 

“We’re leaving?” Beatrice asked. 

“You three are,” Violet replied. “The Quagmires have decided to stay, and I’m going to help them.” 

“Absolutely not,” Klaus scoffed. “We are  _ not _ splitting up.” 

“Would you rather keep Sunny and Bea in the middle of a war?” Violet asked. “The prophecy only mentions the Quagmires. Now that we have Sunny, there’s no need to stay behind. Klaus, you’ve been saying this whole time that it’s dangerous here and that we should leave. I agree with you. Take them and get them home.” 

“It is dangerous,” Sunny said, looking at her siblings. “Olaf isn’t the way we remember him. He doesn’t waste time on the dramatics. He’s ruthless, and a murderer, and he has actual powers here. I’ve seen what he can do, and I’ve helped him do it. That’s why we  _ are  _ needed, Violet. The Quagmires are going to need all four of us if they want any chance in hell of stopping him.” 

“Please?” Beatrice begged. 

“We’re not leaving you here alone,” Klaus added. 

Sunny took Violet’s hand, forcing her sister to look her in her eyes. “I know you want to protect us. I know you think Mom and Dad would be mad at you if you let us stay. But they never wanted us to be the kinds of people who would step aside and let the villains of the world take control. They wanted us to be good.  _ Noble.  _ They wanted us to stay together, to work together, to care for each other. You don’t have to do this alone, Violet. Trust me, that sort of thinking will only lead you further into danger.” 

Violet sighed. “When did you get so wise?” she smiled. 

“So, are we staying?” Beatrice asked. 

“We’re staying,” Violet said, and she turned to walk away. 

“Where are you going?” Sunny asked, baffled. 

“To get you some food,” she replied, “and to find some weapons.” 

Sunny grinned. “Good. We’ve got some training to do.” 


	15. From One Unknown to Another

Isadora tapped Quigley on the shoulder as he started to walk away. “Listen, I think we need to talk,” she said. 

“About Violet?” Duncan asked. Isadora shot him a look. “I’m just asking, because if it’s about Violet I think I should go somewhere else. Y’know? Let you two talk in private? I-It doesn’t concern me, and I don’t want to be butting in or anything.” 

“We don’t need to talk about Violet,” Quigley shrugged. “I already told you, I’m happy for you both. That’s it. End of discussion.” 

Isadora opened her mouth to respond, but then a loud whinny filled the air as a horse slid to a stop before them. “Whoa!” Isadora gasped, realizing at once that it was not actually a horse, as a gleaming, spiraled horn grew out of its sleek, silver-colored head, and two beautiful silver wings sprouted from its dappled back. The alicorn gave a snort as it took in the three humans. 

“Half the camp has been looking for you!” the alicorn told them sternly. “First we were instructed to tell you about the attack on Beatrice and Klaus Baudelaire, and then there was the rescue mission to snag Sunny Baudelaire, and now--” 

“Slow down a second!” Isadora pleaded. 

“Yeah, what’s this about Klaus being attacked?” Duncan demanded. “Is he okay?” 

“And is Sunny alright?” Quigley asked. “Did they get her back?” 

“Does Violet know about any of this?” Isadora questioned. “If not, we need to tell her right now.” 

“The Baudelaires are all fine and they are all four together at this moment,” the alicorn said in a rush. “But that’s not important! I’m trying to tell you that the false king is on his way here. He’s demanded an audience with King Snicket and the Humans, and he specifically instructed that you three be there when he arrives.” 

“Can he do that?” Duncan asked. “I mean, what if it’s a trap? Are we really just going to let him waltz into the camp?” 

“King Snicket is calling it a temporary truce,” the alicorn replied. “He says we’ll all be fine, and that a meeting between the opposing leaders is not uncommon in a war, particularly if they are trying to work some stuff out.” 

The Quagmires all exchanged looks. Isadora did  _ not _ like the sound of this meeting. If Olaf wanted them there so badly, it stood to reason that he had some nasty trick up his sleeve, and that they should get as far away from him as possible. Duncan cleared his throat, looking from one sibling to the next as he said, “I don’t think this is a good idea.” 

“Take it up with King Snicket,” the alicorn snorted. “My job is just to get you there. The other four Humans are already waiting for you.” 

“Sheesh, and here I thought  _ My Little Pony _ was a happy show,” Quigley muttered. 

“I don’t know what you’re referring to, but I’ll have you know I am  _ not  _ a show pony,” the alicorn huffed. “I am Gustav, a decorated steed who has fought in many wars before this one. I do not need to add babysitting to my repertoire, I am merely doing King Snicket a favor.” 

“Sorry, Gustav,” Isadora immediately soothed. “We didn’t mean any offense.” 

“I should hope not,” Gustav replied. “Now, follow me. Quickly now.” 

“Suck up,” Quigley whispered when he was sure the alicorn wouldn’t hear him. 

Isadora rolled her eyes at her brother. “Knowing how to mediate doesn’t make me a suck up.” 

“Children!” Gustav whinnied. “Hurry up, please!” 

The triplets all sighed as they followed the alicorn to the center of camp. Isadora felt better knowing the Baudelaires were there already. She always felt safer with them, especially where Count Olaf was concerned. King Snicket’s army watched them as they walked, most of them staring unabashedly and a few even bowed low as they passed. It was a strange sensation to behold. Once, when Isadora was very little, she had been very interested in all things princess and royalty. It had been her dream to one day have a kingdom to rule. She had of course since grown out of that, and yet that four-year-old part of her still leapt for joy at the aspect of all of this. 

Gustav stopped before King Snicket’s tent, where the Wolf stood along with all four Baudelaire children. Isadora smiled widely to see Sunny standing in the midst of her siblings. She had several small cuts and bruises, and the bags under her eyes were very dark as though she hadn’t been granted a full night’s rest since their arrival. Other than that, she looked relatively unharmed, and Isadora was extremely grateful for this. Without a word, she and the other two triplets rushed forward and wrapped the young girl in a warm embrace. 

“Hi,” Sunny mumbled as they all parted. She had a sheepish look on her face, and she shuffled a foot anxiously against the grass. 

“Are you okay?” Quigley asked. 

“What happened?” Isadora questioned. 

“Did Olaf hurt you?” Duncan inquired, and the thought made Isadora’s chest burn with rage. 

Sunny looked a little overwhelmed at the barrage of questions. Isadora felt kind of bad, actually, and she wondered if she and her siblings should have left the talking to the Baudelaires. Before Sunny could respond to any part of the interrogation, a loud horn split the air. Isadora turned to see their army part before six massive cyclopes who marched forward, carrying a large, ornate throne on their shoulders. Sitting atop this throne, a gleaming golden crown perched on his head, was none other than Olaf. His shiny, beady eyes set below that singular scruffy brow had not changed, and neither had the slimy smirk set upon his greasy lips. 

Isadora’s stomach churned at the sight of him, and all the breath momentarily left her body in a gasp as her mind’s eye launched her back inside the basement of 667 Dark Avenue, and the cramped quarters of the red herring sculpture, and the damp interior of the crow statue in the Village of Fowl Devotees. Terror seized her as she relived every traumatic event at once. She had to force her feet to stay rooted to the spot so she wouldn’t turn and head for the hills. A hand slipped into hers and she relaxed a bit as Violet interlocked their fingers and gave her a comforting squeeze. 

The cyclopes came to a stop, gently lowering the throne. Olaf remained seated, scanning the crowd before him until his gaze came to rest on King Snicket. He gave the Wolf a cold smile. 

“You have a traitor in your midst.” 

Isadora felt her heart drop as several eyes turned to Sunny Baudelaire. It was her turn to offer a gentle pressure on Violet’s hand as the girl beside her started to tremble slightly. The children all stood together, waiting with bated breath to see how King Snicket would respond. So far he remained unmoved, keeping a level gaze on where Olaf sat on his throne. 

“I know you’re aware of the magic in these lands,” Olaf continued. “And I know you’re fully aware that every traitor belongs irrevocably to me.” 

Before Isadora could even fully comprehend the weight of that claim, Violet had pulled out her longsword. She brandished it at the man, a fire in her eyes that all but screamed not to fuck with her. “Try and take her then,” she challenged, and she took a protective step forward, putting herself between her little sister and Olaf. Isadora as well put a hand on her khopesh, and she stepped forward to stay next to Violet. 

“You foolish girls,” Olaf laughed. “This arrangement goes beyond any power you think you have. Snicket, what sort of lies are you telling these children? Or have you forgotten the laws in the magic that built this land?” 

“Don’t kid yourself into believing you know more about the magic than me,” King Snicket suddenly snarled, a fierce glare in his eyes. “I was there when it was written.” 

“Then you remember that I have sole claim on that girl’s life,” Olaf smirked. He turned, raising his voice to address the entire gathered army. “Without the shedding of her blood, all of Narnia will perish in raging fires and flooding waters. That girl will die on the Stone Table! As is tradition.” 

“No!” Klaus yelled, and he pulled a bow from his shoulders, an arrow notched and aimed right at Olaf’s heart. The cyclopes all turned to him with maces raised. Duncan instantly brought up his spear. 

“Enough!” King Snicket barked. Klaus and Duncan lowered their weapons, and after a moment the cyclopes did as well. The Wolf turned back to face Olaf. “Allow me a moment to speak with you in private.” 

Without even waiting to see if Olaf would follow, the Wolf padded purposefully inside his tent. Olaf sent a smirk over to Sunny, and Isadora saw the girl shiver. WIth a newly triumphant gleam in his eyes, the false king made his way after the Wolf. Violet sheathed her sword, leaning into her slightly as they awaited the final judgment. 

“I hope he makes it quick,” Sunny murmured. 

“He won’t lay a hand on you,” Violet insisted fiercely. “I promise.” 

Sunny gave her a pitying look. “Some things are just out of your control.” 

Violet did not respond, and after a while Sunny sat down on the grass. Minutes ticked by, and still the two did not come back out. The sun shifted higher in the sky, and a bead of sweat made its way down the back of Isadora’s neck. She wiped it away, and was debating whether she should sit down beside Sunny or remain standing next to Violet when the front flap of the tent finally fluttered to the side. Olaf stomped out, not looking at anyone as he plopped back down upon his throne. King Snicket appeared, and time seemed to stop as he looked around at his gathered army and raised his voice to say, “He has decided he will spare the girl.” 

The camp erupted into cheers, and Violet let out an audible gasp as she slumped entirely into Isadora’s side. The Quagmire girl only just managed to catch them, and she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend in a relieved embrace. He was going to let her live, Sunny was going to be alright! 

“How am I to know that your promise will be kept?” Olaf demanded. 

King Snicket regarded him, and then he threw back his head and let out a deep, resounding howl. It shook the very foundations of the earth, resounding off the trees and rocks as all the land seemed to acknowledge his voice, taking witness to whatever promise he had made. It seemed good enough for Olaf, who snapped his fingers at his sextet of cyclopes. They immediately lifted up the throne and carried him out of the camp. 

Isadora lost her grasp on Violet’s hand as swarms of soldiers surrounded them. They cheered and clapped the children on the back. Many smiles were exchanged and congratulations given, and for a moment Isadora got caught up in all the giddy chaos. She would have gotten lost in it, if not for the movement she saw out of the corner of her eye. It was King Snicket, dipping his head to the ground but not before Isadora saw the anguished look in his eyes. She frowned in confusion, and started to make her way over to him. Without a word, the Wolf turned and re-entered through the flaps of his tent, and the chance to talk was gone. 


	16. The Sacrificial Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: major character death. I tried to avoid anything too gorey, but maybe skip this chapter if you don't like death scenes.

Beatrice tossed and turned on her cot, unable to sleep. She sighed and twisted her body so that she lay on her side, facing the canvas walls of the tent. It was then that she realized she was not the only insomniac in the camp. She held her breath and watched as the silhouette of King Snicket-- powerful in his wolf form-- passed by the tent, heading for the perimeter of the base. 

She waited a moment longer before throwing on her midnight blue cloak and some hunting boots before slipping outside the shared tent and dashing over to the boys’ sleeping quarters. It only took her a second to find the trunk where Duncan kept his cloak. She hesitated, wondering if Klaus’ safety horn would be a good thing to grab as well. 

“Bea?” Duncan asked with a yawn, gazing at her with a bleary-eyed look. “What are you doing?” 

She sighed, deciding honesty might be the best route. “I’m following King Snicket,” she explained quickly. “He’s heading outside of camp, and I need your cloak so he doesn’t catch me and--” 

“What’s going on?” Klaus demanded in a harsh whisper, picking up his glasses as he sat up in bed. 

“Beatrice wants to leave camp to stalk King Snicket,” Duncan said in a blunt summary. 

“It’s not  _ stalking, _ ” Beatrice huffed, “it’s called  _ scouting,  _ and it’s exactly why Larry-the-Elf gave you that damn cloak. Now if you’ll excuse me, King Snicket is going to be out of sight soon so if I want to see what he’s up to I’ll have to hurry.” And with that, Beatrice snatched up the cloak and wrapped it around herself overtop her own. 

She knew instantly that it worked, as the air around her felt thicker, and everything in her line of sight now wavered slightly with an ebony haze. She laughed softly, picking up the pace as she followed the paw prints leading her to the King. There had been a somber demeanor to the Wolf, something in the way he drooped his tail and walked along with that resigned pace. She needed to know what he was up to. She suspected it had something to do with his private conversation with the Count. Before they had gone into King Snicket’s tent, Count Olaf had been eager to kill Sunny, and he had acted haughty, as if nothing in the world could stop him from spilling her traitor blood. After the two had talked, however, he’d had a truly triumphant gleam in his eyes, as though Hanukkah had come early that year. Beatrice didn’t know what kind of deal the two had struck, but she highly doubted it was anything that would prove beneficial to the VFD army. 

A hand reached out through the dark and gripped her shoulder, and Beatrice almost screamed until she saw that it was just her brother and his boyfriend. “What are you two doing?” she hissed, pushing back the hood of the cloak so they could at least see her face. 

“What’s it look like we’re doing?” Klaus snapped. “We’re coming with you.” 

“No you are not,” Beatrice argued, crossing her arms. 

“I have my hunting horn in case we run into trouble,” Klaus said, holding it up as evidence of his honesty. “Duncan has his spear, so we have protection. And besides, we all want to know what Lem-- I mean, King Snicket-- is up to.” 

Beatrice glanced at the disappearing tail of the subject of their discussion, and she let out an annoyed huff. “Fine, you two can come. Just hurry up!” 

Klaus nodded, gesturing to Duncan to be quiet before picking up the pace. Beatrice followed, ignoring Duncan’s exasperated expression and his quiet cry of, “I didn’t even say anything!” as she hurried along after her brother. 

The three of them had only gone a few steps when they realized that King Snicket was gone. Klaus stopped, searching the surrounding area for any sign of the Wolf, while Beatrice knelt on the ground in search of tracks. It was like he had vanished into thin air. 

“Well, he’s got to be around here somewhere,” Duncan insisted, looking around. 

“Not to worry, kids,” King Snicket said, appearing in human form from around a bend in the trees behind them. “He’s right here, he just doesn’t like being followed.” 

Beatrice swallowed hard, looking into the eyes of a man she felt she knew so well. It was true, the older Baudelaires had met the Lemony Snicket of their world only once, when he’d offered them a ride to safety in his taxi after the three siblings had accidentally killed Dewey Denouement with a harpoon gun. But Klaus had read so much about this man after they had found their mother’s journal on the Island, and he had read Beatrice all the stories written by her namesake. The original Beatrice had loved him, and she had wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, but unfortunate events had forced them apart. Lemony Snicket was a noble man, a mysterious man, a man they could trust. It was strange to look into the face of a man like that, knowing that she was not looking at the same person. Even so, Beatrice knew the two doppelgangers were a lot alike. 

She believed they were both trustworthy. 

“We’re sorry,” Duncan apologized, giving a slight bow to the king. “We didn’t mean to startle you. We just--” 

“What are you doing walking around in the woods at night?” Beatrice asked, abandoning any sense of tact. 

King Snicket sighed. “I’m holding up my end of a bargain.” Beatrice wracked her brain, trying desperately to deduce what sort of bargain a king might make that would lead to him walking towards enemy lines late in the night.

Klaus beat her to it. “You’re talking about the deal you made for Sunny’s life.” 

It was not a question, but King Snicket answered anyway. “Yes,” he said with a sigh. 

“What do you have to do?” Duncan asked, but Beatrice’s heart beat fast and hard in her chest with the fear that she already knew the answer. One look at Klaus’ wide, sorrowful eyes and she knew he’d guessed the same. 

King Snicket shook his head, refusing to answer the Quagmire triplet’s question. “I should get going,” he said instead. 

“Let us come with you,” Beatrice pleaded, looking into the eyes of the man who looked so much like her uncle. “Please?” 

“Okay,” King Snicket said after a moment, a small smile crossing his features. “I suppose I’ll be glad for the company. Just, stay close to me until we get where we’re going.” 

The three children nodded as the King shifted himself back into the giant Wolf. Beatrice walked forward, placing a cautious hand carefully into the Wolf’s shaggy mane and grabbing gently onto a lock of warm, soft fur just below his ear. Klaus hesitated before following suit. Duncan latched on as well, and the Wolf led the way through the night. They were a somber party, the three children and the Wolf. No one said a word as they tramped along, and so the silence settled in around them. 

The woods seemed to be getting a little more hostile the further along they walked. The trees looming over them were no longer lush and full, whispering soothingly as the wind whistled through their leaves. The further they got from the camp, the more scraggly the shrubs became. Their bare limbs creaked conivingly above them, and the piercing branches seemed to scratch at the moon in an attempt to make the night darker. Beatrice shivered, clutching at the fur of King Snicket. 

It was another minute’s walk before the Wolf slowed to a stop. The children stilled with him, waiting for further instruction. King Snicket sighed, and he looked at each of the children in turn. 

“Thank you for the company,” he said. “But now I must continue unescorted, a word which here means without the presence of you three lovely children.” 

“Are you sure?” Beatrice asked. The place they were stopped at now was giving her a very bad feeling. It didn’t matter to her that King Snicket was a grown up, or that he was an adult who could take the form of a powerful wolf. It didn’t feel right leaving him on his own. 

King Snicket gave her a warm, wolfish smile. “Head back to camp now,” he instructed. “I’ll be along.” 

Before any of the children could argue it further, he strode forward into the night. The trees seemed to lean around him, concealing him from view much sooner than the kids would have liked. The three humans exchanged looks with one another, and it was clear that they all felt the same sense of foreboding. 

“What do we do now?” Beatrice asked. 

Klaus shrugged. “I think we head back.” 

“But--” 

“Shh,” Duncan shushed softly. Beatrice quieted, waiting for the boy to share his observations. “Do you guys here that?” 

She didn’t hear anything. She opened her mouth to tell him, but stopped when she felt the menacing vibrations cut through the air. Somewhere in the near distance there were a steady series of thuds. It felt like a rhythm, methodic and sinister. It was coming from the direction King Snicket had just left. Beatrice started forward, Klaus and Duncan beside her. There were no words exchanged as the children started forward. The woods seemed to grow a little brighter as Beatrice made her way ever closer through the dark. At last she pushed back a branch, and she gasped at the sight that lay before her. 

An army was gathered around a large stone slab. Goblins and moving gargoyles shoved each other amidst ogres and minotaurs and harpies. Every few feet there stood a cyclops at the edge of the crowd holding a torch to light up the night, and it was by this torchlight that Beatrice was able to see Count Olaf and Esme standing above the front of the stone.Their gaze was fixed on something Beatrice couldn’t see. Whatever it was, it was surely something bad for the Narnians because it painted a smug smirk across Olaf’s lips, his eyes shiny with cruel amusement. 

Suddenly Klaus shifted beside her, and Duncan let out a small, “No!” 

Beatrice turned to them, confused, until at last she saw what held everyone’s attention so tightly: it was King Snicket, in his Wolf form, walking purposefully through the Fire Warlock’s army. He was heading for the large, stone table. Beatrice’s breath caught in her throat as a tall, bald ogre stepped forward and smacked the Wolf with his club, knocking King Snicket to the ground. The king did not retaliate. In fact, he did nothing by way of fighting. He only leaned his head against the ground as several other creatures surged forward to pin him down. 

“What’s he doing?” Beatrice whispered. “He has to fight back!” 

Klaus and Duncan exchanged looks before turning to face Beatrice. “I-I don’t think he can, Bea,” Klaus told her gently, which only made her more confused. 

She didn’t have time to ponder anything however, because Olaf was calling now for his troops to bind the Wolf’s paws, which they did with gusto. Beatrice watched in horror as they wrapped rope around his paws and his snout, pulling it taut so that it dug past the king’s fur and into his flesh. Still, King Snicket did nothing to stop it. He winced as one of the winged creatures nearby jabbed him with its dagger, but other than that he showed no reaction. 

“Bring him to me!” Olaf commanded, and his troops drug the Wolf forward, lifting him as best as they could onto the table of stone. The Fire Warlock turned to address his army, raising his voice so that everyone could hear. “Tonight, the Deep Magic will be appeased with an offering of blood! Tomorrow, we will march on those traitors and take back what is ours! We will slaughter every last one of them, and we will once again rule Narnia forever!” 

The army erupted into a cheer that shook the earth. Beatrice shuddered as she watched the bloodthirsty monsters celebrate, and her heart seemed frozen in fear as she looked at King Snicket bound on the table. She saw a tear slip from his eyes, disappearing into his thick, dark fur. She felt tears of her own crop up, and she couldn’t believe that this was happening. How could this happen? Why wasn’t King Snicket doing anything to stop this? 

_ Unless he can’t,  _ she thought miserably, a terrible realization dawning on her. Count Olaf had said something about appeasing the Dark Magic, and King Snicket had said he was holding up his end of a bargain. Beatrice knew what was going on now. This was why Count Olaf had agreed to let Sunny go; King Snicket had promised himself as a sacrifice in exchange for Sunny Baudelaire’s life. 

“And now,” Olaf proclaimed, raising up a gleaming red dagger, “the moment we’ve all been waiting for!” 

“No,” Beatrice sobbed, and she felt as Klaus wrapped his arms around her. He tried to shield her eyes but she fought against him, believing for a moment that something would change, that King Snicket would find a way out of this or that someone would save him. Anything other than Olaf bringing the knife down. 

“DIE!” 

“No!” Beatrice shrieked, her voice drowned out by the maniacal cheering from the monsters that surrounded the brutal scene. 

“Under the cloak,” Duncan hissed. “Now!” 

Klaus shepherded her closer until the three were covered in the warm cloak. The world turned to shadows as they were hidden from view. Just in time, too, as Olaf’s army cleared out to head back to their base. Now that the show was over and there would be no more bloodshed for the night, they all seemed eager to return to their camp. 

The same could not be said for the three children. 

As soon as the last of Olaf’s soldiers had disappeared from view, Beatrice slipped out from under the cloak and rushed over to where King Snicket lay on the table. She hopped up next to him and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his fur. She pulled back at once when she felt how cold he was. He had just died. He shouldn’t be that cold. She tugged the Moonlight Nectar from her pocket and began twisting off the cap desperately. Klaus, suddenly beside her again, placed a gentle hand over hers. 

“He’s gone,” he said in answer to the quizzical look she gave him. 

“He’s so cold,” Beatrice told him, tears sliding down her face. 

“It’s this place,” Duncan decided, a shiver running down his body. “We should go.” 

Beatrice turned to him, aghast. “We can’t just leave him!” she whispered fiercely. She turned to Klaus, silently willing him to back her up. The boy sighed, and Beatrice felt her heart sink. 

“King Snicket is dead,” Klaus murmured. “And Olaf is planning to attack the camp tomorrow morning. We have to warn the others, Bea. We can’t do that from here. I’m sorry, but we have to leave him behind.” 

“We can’t,” Beatrice insisted. “We can’t!” 

A breeze blew through just then, but not like the winds that had been stirring. This one soft where the other was biting, friendly while the other was menacing. It brought the scent of flowers with it, and as Beatrice watched she realized it was because the breeze was carrying with it pink petals. They clumped together to form a figure she had only seen once before. 

The nymph from the gates of camp gave her a soft smile as she reached a petalled hand to brush gently against her cheek. “Perhaps I can be of assistance,” Carmelita offered. “I happen to be a traveling cherry blossom guardian messenger nymph, you know. You three stay here with King Snicket. I’ll take word to the camp.” 

Before Beatrice could even say her thanks, the breeze was back and it took Carmelita with it. Beatrice watched her go and then slumped back against the Wolf’s cold body. Klaus rested a comforting hand on her shoulder, letting her know that she wasn’t alone. 


	17. The Battle Begins

A red sun rose over the camp as dawn broke the following morning. Violet stood with the other soldiers, waiting with bated breath. One look at Isadora’s face as she emerged from King Snicket’s tent answered all of Violet’s questions in the worst possible way. Her heart sank like a stone as she realized what this would mean. 

“Carmelita is right,” Isadora announced to the rest of the camp. “He’s gone.” 

“And that means she’s probably right about Olaf launching his attack today,” Violet added, terror going to war with sorrow in her heart. “He could be on his way here right now.” 

“Then we need to be ready,” Sunny urged. Violet and Isadora exchanged looks, silently sharing their doubts with each other. Sunny let out a huff. “Olaf is coming whether we like it or not. We can’t just roll over and let him win because of one death.” 

“It’s not that simple,” Isadora sighed. 

“King Snicket was supposed to lead us,” Violet explained.

“Then you lead us,” Sunny suggested, earning a scoff from Isadora. “I’m serious. You do it. The prophecy says it’s the triplets who save Narnia, not the Wolf. Maybe this is exactly what it was referring to.” 

“We’re not even all here,” Isadora pointed out. “Quigley and I are a wreck and have very little training, and Duncan is god-knows-where with the body of the Wolf. How the hell are either of us supposed to lead an army?” 

“We’ll figure it out,” Violet promised. 

Isadora paused, giving Violet an incredulous look that Violet knew all too well. Every time Klaus would comment on her genius inventions, she always felt like shooting him the same expression. She never knew whether her inventions would work or not, she never knew if they’d be needed or important. But she always had the strength to figure it out, because she had Klaus by her side telling her that they would find out together. Now it was time that Isadora received that same support. 

Isadora looked at her, her eyes filled with fear. 

“I’m scared,” she confessed. 

“We all are,” Sunny told her. 

“‘The strength of the pack is the wolf,’” Violet quoted, taking Isadora’s hand in her own. 

“”And the strength of the wolf is the pack,’” Isadora finished, a shaky smile flitting over her lips. “Rudyard Kipling.” 

“King Snicket was never going to do this on his own,” Violet murmured. “And neither are you. That’s how we win: together. Olaf has fear and threats keeping his army together. But you, you have love and loyalty. The soldiers here are fighting for something they believe in, something bigger than themselves. We’ll all be with you, waiting on your command. You can do this, Isadora. I know you can.” 

Isadora nodded. “Okay then. Together.” 

“Together,” Violet smiled. 

“Together,” Sunny joined in, and Violet felt a swell of gratitude for her younger sister. 

The rest of the morning passed in a blur as the three women grabbed Quigley and raced around the camp handing out weapons and food and rousing the troops. With Sunny leading the way, they marched out of the camp and headed for Olaf. If he thought he was going to get the drop on them, then he would be sorely mistaken. Unfortunately for them, they wouldn’t get the drop on him either. They made it to just past the mountain pass, standing in the rocks overlooking an enormous green field, before they spotted the first ghoul. 

“There!” Sunny pointed it out, and Violet raised a hand so the troops would know to come to a stop for a moment. 

As they watched, more and more enemy soldiers appeared on the horizon. It was more than any of them had been expecting. As far as Violet could tell, Olaf must have made some kind of deal with the neighboring lands to get more soldiers. That was going to make this battle all the more long and hard. 

Isadora sucked in a shaky breath beside her. Her knuckles were white with how hard she was gripping her khopesh, and her shield was trembling as badly as the rest of her. The alicorn she sat upon sidestepped slightly as Violet placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. Isadora glanced over at her, gazing at her with a grateful expression. 

“Are you with me?” Isadora asked, her voice trembling slightly as she seemingly forced her focus on Violet instead of on the enemy army that marched towards them.

Violet gave her a grim smile, a fierce determination gripping her as she slid down the face-plate on her helmet. “To the end,” she promised, unsheathing her swords. 

Isadora let out a sigh of relief, and for a moment the eldest Baudelaire felt a swell of comfort as she turned her attention back to the battle ahead. Her feeling of peace soon dissipated, quickly replaced by a sickening anxiety as she knew what must come next. Next to her, Isadora thrust her khopesh high into the air so that the entire army could see it. The girl took in another shaky breath and bellowed, “FOR NARNIA!” 

“FOR NARNIA!” Violet chanted back, her voice accompanied by the army behind them. 

Isadora glanced at Violet, and she added, “FOR KING SNICKET!” 

“FOR KING SNICKET!” Violet screamed fiercely along with the rest of the army. 

Isadora urged her war steed forward. Violet was quick to follow, and the rest of the soldiers were right at her heels. She had to force her attention on the army ahead, not wanting to be distracted by Sunny and Quigley, who stood in the rocks with bows notched and at the ready, nor did she want her mind to wander to Klaus, Duncan, and Beatrice, who had all three disappeared last night only to send in the news that King Snicket was dead. She gasped at the sight of the Count as he jolted forward in a golden war carriage pulled by two wingless dragons. She wanted to freeze as he drew ever closer, she wanted to scream and run the other way, but she knew she couldn’t. The Volunteers of Narnia needed her, and she had to stand strong for them. 

Time seemed to stop as the frontline of the two armies finally reached each other. For half a moment, it was as though sight was the only sense that still worked as Violet watched the centaurs, wolves, and ravens on her side clash against the goblins, bears, and furies on Olaf’s. Everything returned full force however as soon as her blade hit the first minotaur. The harsh clanging of metal on metal, the grunts and yells of the soldiers, and the pounding of all those footsteps hit her ears with the force of a train, temporarily disorienting her. A sword came swinging past her head, aiming right at Isadora’s chest. With a cry of anger, Violet lashed out with her longsword, blocking the blow. Coal, Violet’s horse, positioned himself in front of Isadora’s mount so that Violet was between Isadora and the giant mountain troll that had tried to kill her. With a few expert swipes, Violet knocked aside the troll’s sword. She aimed a quick thrust to the thing’s chest, hitting it directly in its heart. By the time she yanked her sword out the beast was already dead. 

“You have to stay alert!” Violet scolded, yelling to be heard over the din of the battle. “If you let yourself lose focus, you’ll die!” 

“She’s right!” Isadora’s war horse-- who had introduced himself as Gustav-- concurred. 

Isadora nodded her agreement. “She who hesitates is lost!” she replied. 

“She who hesitates is lost!” Violet agreed, spinning her horse around to head back in the fray. She let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding as she parried with an enemy cyclops. 

“Are you alright, Sir Violet?” Coal asked as she thrust her sword into the creature's eye, sounding concerned. He stepped backward to avoid the blood that came gushing and gurgling down the beast’s body. 

“I’m fine,” Violet assured him. “Just…. Keep an eye on Isadora. If she looks like she needs help, you take us over to her _immediately._ I’ll guide us through the battlefield in the meantime.” 

Coal nodded his head, letting out a horse-like snort before charging after Gustav. Isadora had her khopesh raised up, locked in combat with an armored goblin. She used the momentum from her alicorn to give extra strength to the swing of her blade, and with one swipe she sliced right through the goblin’s chainmail, disemboweling the hapless foe. Coal whinnied loudly, rearing up on his hindlegs as a minotaur swung a mace where her head had been a second before. Violet urged Coal down, and as the steed dropped back to all fours, Violet thrust with her longsword, piercing the bullman’s throat. He dropped dead, and Violet blushed as she realized how hypocritical she’d been. Her fixation on Isadora had nearly gotten Coal and her decapitated. She shook her head, vowing not to get distracted again. 

A piercing scream split the air, and Violet risked a glance up above her. An aerie of large eagles soared through the sky, and in their talons each one clutch a bolder that would surely crush metal on impact. She whirled Coal around, urging him onto the nearest ledge so she could address the army and be heard over the din. “Watch the skies!” she screamed, and several soldiers glanced. “Look out for the--” 

She and Coal were thrown off the ledge as the first eagle dropped its stone, landing it mere inches from the two. Bits of rock rained down on the pair as Violet struggled to her feet and climbed back into the saddle. 

“Are you hurt?” Coal demanded, trying to crane his neck to get a look at her. 

“Only bruises,” Violet assured him. “You?” 

“No broken bones, so I’ll live,” Coal said. 

“Good,” Violet panted, gripping her swords. “Let’s get back in there.” 

As Coal rushed them back into the fray, Violet caught sight of a somewhat familiar face. It was a hunchback, and he looked like Hugo from the House of Freaks at Caligari Carnival back on their earth. In his hands he held a harpoon gun, and as Violet watched he took careful aim at the leader of VFD’s army. Violet let out a wordless cry as the hunchback pulled the trigger. She didn't even have time to see if it hit-- to see if Isadora was okay-- before a bright golden war carriage rolled into view behind him. Coal snorted as he caught sight of it, letting Violet know that he was just as repulsed by the sight as she was. Violet tapped her heels against his sides to urge him towards it. Her absolute anger drove her forward as she neared the man who had ruined her life, who had taken her parents from her, who had hurt all these Narnians and was now the cause of an all out war. She was done being haunted by him, done allowing him to live and set fires. He was in her sights and in her warpath, and Violet was going to end it once and for all.

_It was now or never._


	18. An Explanation for the Unexplained

Duncan was shivering beyond belief as he sat at the Stone Table with the Wolf’s dead body. He couldn’t believe what had happened. King Snicket’s death and the start of the war had really unsettled him. He agreed with Beatrice about not leaving King Snicket alone. His heart hurt to think about how the Wolf had died for them. Duncan thought alot about what King Snicket had asked of him, how he’d wanted to keep his family safe the same way Duncan did. It hurt to know King Snicket had died to fulfill his end of the bargain. Maybe that was why Duncan felt so conflicted. Yes, he wanted to be here with the Wolf, but he also wanted to be out there on the battlefield. How was he of any use to anyone when he was all the way out here guarding a corpse? 

“Hey,” Klaus murmured, taking off his jacket to wrap around Duncan’s shoulders. “Are you okay?” 

Duncan nodded. “I was just thinking about something King Snicket told me.” 

“Me too,” Klaus confessed, nervously biting his bottom lip. 

“What did he say?” Duncan asked. 

Klaus looked away. “He said that here, when love reveals itself, Narnians usually join together right away. Because there’s so much that can go wrong, it makes sense to them to spend as much time with their soulmates as possible before…” 

“Before this,” Duncan finishes, nodding his head at the body in front of them. 

Klaus shrugged. “I get it.” 

“You do?” Duncan said, a slight chuckle in his voice. Klaus was always so hesitant, wanting to stop and explore every option before making a choice. Getting hitched at the slightest sign of romance seemed polar opposite to how the boy lived his life. 

“Maybe not all of it,” Klaus conceded with a sheepish grin. “But the soulmate part. Why waste what little time we have together on doubt if we already know in our hearts that we’re meant to be together?” 

“Klaus,” Duncan began, but he didn’t get to finish. Before he could complete his thought Klaus leaned over and crashed their lips together. It took Duncan by such surprise that he froze, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. 

Klaus pulled away, his face bright red. “I’m so sorry,” he gasped. “I must have totally misread things between us. I--” 

Duncan, recovering from his shock, swiftly returned the favor. He swallowed the rest of Klaus’ apology with his lips, quickly quieting the other boy and letting him know that he was right, that he hadn’t misread things, that he and Duncan were meant to be together. They finally moved apart when they heard Beatrice clear her throat, eyeing them with something like exasperation. 

“Not that this isn’t exactly what we’ve all wanted for you two,” she said, placing a hand on her hip, “but is now really the time?” 

“No,” Duncan replied. “The time was long before now. I’m just trying to make up for being so late.” 

“Adorable,” Beatrice allotted, a smile playing at her lips. It didn’t last long though. Soon a frown settled over her features and she shivered. “The sun is so high now. Do you think Carmelita got the message to the others in time?” 

“I don’t know,” Klaus confessed. “But I do know we were supposed to be there to help them. Instead we’re hiding out here, letting them deal with all the gory details.” 

“King Snicket needs us,” Beatrice reminded him. 

Klaus looked at her, his gaze sympathetic. “King Snicket is dead,” he pointed out. “But Violet and Sunny and Isadora and Quigley are all still alive. At least I hope they are. At any rate, they aren’t beyond our help.” 

Duncan climbed to his feet, offering out a hand to his boyfriend and to Beatrice. “We really should get going.” 

The two Baudelaires nodded their agreement, and together the trio made their way back down the path that would lead them to camp. They only managed to get as far as the end of the stone walkway, however, when the very earth began to shake. A loud  _ crack!  _ rang through the air like too-close thunder as the vibrations in the ground tossed the children like ragdolls to their knees. Duncan was scared that this was the end, that it was going to be a simple earthquake that took him out just as soon as he’d finally gotten to tell Klaus how he really felt about him, and that spending the rest of his life with Klaus was going to be much less of an accomplishment than people made it out to be. 

Then the quaking stopped. The air and the ground stilled. When Duncan and the others looked back-- seemingly both subconsciously and intuitively-- they all noticed the same thing at the exact same time. 

“He’s gone,” Klaus gasped. 

He was right. The table that stood in the middle of the stone altar was cracked right in half. That explained the loud noise. What still lacked explanation was the fact that King Snicket’s body-- which had laid upon the table mere moments ago-- was gone. There was no fur, no blood, no Wolf at all. Only a damaged stone table in an empty clearing. 

“What did they do to him?” Beatrice demanded, looking every which way for the Wolf. 

Duncan followed suit, checking beside the table and all around the altar. It seemed some invisible force had taken the body. To do what with it, Duncan had no clue. All he knew for sure was that King Snicket was truly no longer with them. 

“I’m sorry,” Duncan murmured, though what he was sorry for or who exactly he was apologizing to was unclear to him. He just felt, deep in his bones, that he was sorry. Maybe this whole ordeal with King Snicket was his fault. Maybe the Wolf would not be dead-- his body graverobbed-- if Duncan had gotten his family back through the Wardrobe in time. He turned to head back, feeling so much more useless than he’d ever felt, and stopped cold. 

“What?” Klaus asked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. 

Duncan couldn’t respond. He could only lift their entwined hands to point at the impossibility standing before them. Klaus followed his gaze, confusion etched in his features. His eyes widened as he saw what Duncan had seen. Together the two boys stood shell-shocked and awed, unconvinced that they weren’t simply sharing a hallucination. 

“Impossible,” Klaus breathed, and indeed it felt that way. 

There before them, standing underneath the altar with the golden light of the sun casting a halo around his dark fur, was King Snicket. There were no injuries on him, no wounds to mar his features. He was healthy and imposing, except for the wide, wolfish grin on his furry face. 

“Lemony!” the three children all cheered together. Without thinking they all rushed the Wolf. Human arms wrapped tight and tangled into fur as the four of them rejoiced at King Snicket’s reappearance. Duncan couldn't believe it, even as he buried his face in the Wolf's fur. He couldn't believe King Snicket was back, alive somehow and healthy and _here._

After a moment, Duncan pulled back to give the Wolf a quizzical look. “How are you alive right now?” 

“The Count,” Klaus stammered, trying to explain. “He… We saw him last night. He, with his knife, he--” 

“If the Count knew the true meaning of sacrifice, he might have interpreted the Deep Magic differently,” King Snicket explained. “It is true, all traitors belong to him. But when a loving soul willingly gives themself up to the slaughter, the Stone Table will crack and even death itself will be reversed.” 

“The Count!” Beatrice gasped suddenly. “He’ll have made it to the others by now.” 

“Violet and Sunny,” Klaus murmured. “And Quigley and Isadora. They’ll all be in the thick of things right now.” 

“We have to help them,” Beatrice decided firmly. Quick as a flash she whipped out her dagger, holding it up as proof that she was serious about aiding the others. 

King Snicket chuckled, setting a commanding paw over her hand to gently force her into lowering her weapon. “We will help them,” he promised. “But they are not our top priority, a word which here means there are others who need us first.” 

Duncan and Klaus exchanged looks. They’d waited so long already. Duncan was worried enough about his siblings as it was. Now that they had King Snicket back all he wanted was to join the fray, to make sure everyone was alright. He didn’t like the idea of postponing the cavalry any longer than they already had. 

As if sensing their hesitation, King Snicket looked at each of them in turn and said, “Trust me. We can still save everyone in need of saving. For now, come with me. I know what we need to do.” 

Duncan opened his mouth to argue, but he stopped to watch as Kalus cautiously approached the Wolf. “My family means the world to me,” he said sternly. Then the boy let out a deep sigh. “But I trust you. Just, please hurry. They need us on the battlefield.” 

“I know,” King Snicket nodded. “We’ll be with them soon.” 

Klaus nodded. “Okay,” he said. And with that he lifted up his arms and crawled up onto the Wolf’s back. He looked from Beatrice to Duncan and gave a slight nod. “Come on. Let’s do this.” 

Duncan sighed, but he decided to trust his boyfriend’s judgement. Instead of arguing he hoisted Beatrice up and passed her to Klaus. The little girl was heavier than she looked. He was slightly embarrassed that Klaus had seen him struggle so much to lift her, though it made him feel slightly better to watch as he struggled too. Then it was his turn to get up. He took a running start and hurdled himself up, latching tight to a clump of fur that he used to pull himself up the rest of the way. 

“Is everybody settled?” King Snicket asked. 

The three children nodded before realizing that the Wolf couldn’t see them from where they all sat on his back. “Yes,” Klaus responded verbally so that the Wolf would be looped in. 

“Good,” King Snicket commented. “Now you might want to cover your ears.” 

They all did as they were told. The Wolf threw back his head and let loose a long, mighty howl that shook the very foundations of the earth. With a powerful leap, the Wolf bounded through the valley, and they were off, barreling quickly towards a new unknown. 


	19. Death All Around

Isadora screamed as she was suddenly thrown from Gustav’s back. “No!” she cried, watching the beautiful alicorn roll head over heels before coming to a stop in the dirt, his eyes blank and unseeing. A bolt from a harpoon gun stuck out of his chest, and Isadora dropped to her knees before him. When she glanced up, Count Olaf was urging his dragons forward, a satisfied smirk etched on his villainous face. Isadora picked up her khopesh, ready to end the battle once and for all. 

A thudding sound coming from directly behind her made her stop in her tracks. She whirled around just in time to see Violet thunder by on Coal, and the griffon that had a voice like Hector’s was soaring right beside her. All three Volunteers had their sights set on the false king, their intentions clear. Isadora turned back towards Olaf, and the triumphant gleam in his eyes made her blood run cold. “Stop!” Isadora commanded. “Violet, stop!” 

Coal didn’t so much as falter. The trio kept on, until the bald-headed ogre lashed out with his club, smashing the griffon into the side of the mountain with a single blow. Violet kept on, urging the war horse ever closer without missing a beat. She ducked as an arrow flew right at her head, and when a large mountain troll swiped Coal’s legs out from under his feet, Violet launched herself into the air, landing on the back of the carriage with a jolt that nearly toppled the whole thing over. 

“This ends now!” Count Olaf roared as his queen stood up with a hiss. She lifted her hands to her head, slowly removing her helmet in a very dramatic fashion. 

Isadora’s eyes widened in horror as she realized the hissing wasn’t coming from Esme, but from underneath her visor. Her heart stopped as she remembered the famous Greek myth of a woman with serpents growing out of her head. “Violet!” she screamed, her heart breaking as she stood kneeling on the ground, watching helplessly from afar. “NO!” As the gorgon revealed herself, there wasn’t anything Isadora could do. Violet had fallen right into their trap, and even as she swung her longsword at Esme’s head with all her might, Isadora knew the blade would never reach. A tear trailed down her face and her breathing turned ragged as Violet twisted her body with the force of her swing, turning to meet Esme’s gaze. “No, no, no!” 

Isadora let out a strangled, heartbroken cry as her best friend and the love of her life was turned to stone. She fell to the ground completely, sobs wracking her body as Olaf shoved the stone statue out of his carriage and continued forward. Her whole body trembled as the dragons pulled him ever closer, but it wasn’t from fear or sorrow. Isadora found herself fueled with rage as the air filled with the sound of villainous laughter. Olaf flicked his wrist, igniting a gorilla that fought against one of the false king’s dwarves. The primate reeled back, screaming in pain as the fire consumed him. Count Olaf smirked, and Isadora’s fury roared with the intensity of a wildfire. 

She stabbed her blade into the earth, using it to climb back up to her feet. Count Olaf was going to pay for what he did. Even if it was the last thing she ever did, Isadora was going to make him pay. She unearthed her khopesh and swung it around in a motion that gestured Olaf closer. She wanted him in close range in his final moments. She wanted him to feel her fury. 

A smirk lit up his slimy face and he redirected the motion of his chariot to face her. The wingless dragons in the front each gave a disgruntled roar as Count Olaf snapped a wip at them. He eyed her with a vicious hunger, clearly just as eager for this fight as she was. He leaned over and whispered something into Esme’s ear. They were still too far for Isadora to hear, but whatever it was it made her grin cruel and wickedly. 

Just as the chariot was drawing near enough to fight, it swerved violently to the right. Esme leaped out, the snakes in her head hissing and snapping venomous fangs at Isadora. The middle Quagmire triplet quickly closed her eyes to avoid Violet’s fate, and she swung her sword wildly in the air to keep the gorgon at bay. She heard a laugh and several more hisses and she let out a yell of frustration. It wasn’t fair! How the hell was she supposed to fight an enemy she couldn’t see? 

All of a sudden there came a sharp pain on her wrist like two tiny needles had punctured her skin. The area burned in fiery agony and a scream left her lips. Her whole arm trembled, making her sword clatter the ground. She jumped back instinctively to avoid whatever attack Esme was planning next. Another pain landed suddenly on her thigh and her whole leg convulsed. She fell to the ground, stinging in her leg and her arm. Intense hissing sounded above her, and all Isadora could do was whimper. She knew this was it. She knew this was the end. The prophecy was wrong; the Quagmires and the Baudelaires would not save Narnia. Instead, two would die trying. She only hoped that Quigley would have the sense to take Sunny and get the hell out of here. With any luck, he’d be able to find the others and get them all home. 

“Aaargh!” came a sound like a battlecry. 

Esme let out a vicious chortle from above as footsteps seemed to draw nearer from off the battlefield. There were grunts amidst the noises of a scuffle. Isadora could barely hear it all through the ache in her head that seemed to be hand in hand with the throbbing in her appendages. At last there was a shriek, a sickening  _ thwishk!  _ sound, and two thuds. 

“You can open your eyes now,” Sunny told her. “It’s okay to look.” 

Isadora risked a glance, instantly vomiting at what she saw. Esme lay dead on the ground, her body in one spot and her head in another. There was a thick pool of blood connecting the two. A few of the snakes’ heads had gotten caught in the crossfire and their corpses were emitting a sticky green ooze. Isadora frowned and turned back to see Sunny wipe off her bloody sword in the grass. 

“You did this?” Isadora asked. 

Sunny grinned. “Thanks for keeping her distracted,” she laughed. She scrunched up her brows, looking over Isadora’s shoulder and glancing around. “Where’s Violet?”

Isadora opened her mouth and then closed it again, probably looking like a fish out of water. Her heart broke all over again as she rewatched what had happened to the poor girl in her mind’s eye. It was lucky Sunny had missed that. The little girl didn’t need to watch her sister die. Even so, Isadora had no clue how to tell her. She cleared her throat to try again.

“NO!” Count Olaf roared, his fury cutting across the air before Isadora could respond. His fury sparked his dragons to stomp and huff out bits of flames. “What the fuck have you done?” 

“She got what she deserved!” Sunny yelled back at him. She was seething at the sight of her old enemy. Isadora had no doubt she was having flashbacks to being stuffed in cages and moving through the vents of an old hospital and disguising herself as a freak to perform undercover in a carnival. 

Isadora cleared her throat again before trying to push herself to her feet. Her wounded leg refused to support her weight. She fell back to the ground with finality. This time she could only barely muster up the strength to sit up. Her uninjured hand grasped desperately at the ground, searching for her khopesh. 

Count Olaf drew ever nearer, hatred burning in his eyes as he regarded the children. “I will smite you. All of you! That double-sworded brat was only the first victory of the many that I will earn today!” he threatened loudly. 

“What is he talking about?” Sunny scoffed. Her eyes widened in horror as she grasped his meaning. She rounded on Isadora, pain and fear written all over her face. “Is he talking about Violet?” 

“I killed her!” Olaf roared, stepping out of his chariot to stand before the girls. He ignited a large flame into his bare hands, holding it out like a promise. “And now I’m going to kill both of you.” 

Sunny reached down and slapped Isadora’s face, demanding her attention. Isadora hadn’t even realized that her head had lolled to the side, her shoulders sinking slowly back towards the ground. She fought to sit up again as Sunny fought back tears. “Is he telling the truth?” Sunny asked. 

Isadora tried to respond, but her throat closed up. She gulped in air, trying and failing to get it down into her lungs. The back of her head hit the grass as she struggled to fucking breathe. Panic gripped her and she tried desperately to save herself. She tried every breathing technique she could remember, but nothing was working. Very vaguely she could hear Sunny screaming her name above her, but her hearing was almost entirely gone. Her vision was fading fast, too. 

“Please, no!” she heard, and she thought it might be Sunny. “No!” 

She tried to fight, tried to help, tried to do anything she could. But her sight vanished, and the darkness took her. There was nothing more she could do. There was, in fact, nothing at all anymore. 


End file.
